A Texas-based company broke ground on a new data center in Aurora on Wednesday, the latest in a boom of data storage facility developments in northern Illinois. … MORE
Category Archives: State News
Macoupin County state’s attorney asks for special prosecutor in Heinz case
A Macoupin County judge approved the appointment of a special prosecutor to review a criminal case against August Heinz, the funeral home director accused of giving dozens of families the wrong ashes.… MORE
Ameren sending crews to east coast to assist with Hurricane Helene Restoration
Ameren workers across Illinois and Missouri are heading to the East Coast to assist in repairing damage and restoring power outages in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene.… MORE
Exhibit in Springfield tells the story of one part of the fight against slavery
A traveling exhibit – now in Springfield until November – tells an arguably underpublicized story: that of the Underground Railroad, a network of abolitionists who helped slaves escape the South.… MORE
Illinois Retail Merchants Association going after “swipe fees”
If you are a small business person, you could say this about credit cards: can’t live with ‘em, can’t live without ‘em.… MORE
Illinois Supreme Court rulings address FOID seizures, hospital room privacy
The Illinois Supreme Court last week vacated a lower court ruling and reinstated a statute that authorizes the state to revoke a person’s Firearm Owners Identification card once they’ve been charged with a felony, even if they haven’t yet been convicted.… MORE
Illinois celebrates dispensary openings while manufacturers face significant challenges
While Illinois’ cannabis market is booming and the state has made progress in diversifying new licensees, significant hurdles remain for businesses hoping to enter the expanding market, according to an independent review of the industry.… MORE
Illinois Secretary of State applauding FDA for developing a system to review food additives
People interested in food safety are optimistic the federal Food and Drug Administration will finally get a handle on what goes into our food.… MORE
University of Illinois Springfield Professor: Watch out for political polling as Pres. election inches closer
Cut through the noise when you listen, watch, or read news. That is the advice of a University of Illinois Springfield professor who directs a graduate program in public affairs reporting.… MORE
Speaker of Illinois House: “I think there’s racism in America”
Illinois House Speaker Chris Welch (D-Hillside), the first Black person to occupy that office, touched on race when he participated in a question-and-answer at the City Club of Chicago.… MORE
Blogs
Labor Day – Expanding voting rights for all
By Mike Matejka Because of COVID, there is no Labor Day Parade this year. It’s always a great event for our everyday workers to march proudly down the street and enjoys the festive crowd. If there had been a parade, this year’s Labor Day theme was to be “150 years of struggle: your right to vote.” …
Is federal mobilization the answer?
By Mike Matejka As President Donald Trump threatens to send federal marshals into Chicago, over the objections of Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, recall another Illinois Governor who protested the incursion of armed federal personnel into the city. Those federal troops, rather than calming, escalated the situation, leading to deaths and violence. Illinois poet Vachel Lindsay…
In these troubled times, to my fellow white Americans
By Mike Matejka Our nation is at a unique watershed in human relations. African-Americans have been killed too many times in the past before George Floyd, but the response to this man’s death is international and all-encompassing. I was a grade-schooler during the Civil Rights 1960s. I watched Birmingham demonstrators hosed and the Selma – Montgomery…
Workers’ Memorial Day – Remember those whose job took their life
Looking around our community, when we say employer, most will respond to State Farm, Country, or Illinois State University. We too often forget those who are building our roads, serving our food, or our public employees. COVID-19 has made us more aware of the risk. Going to work every day for some people means…