The Illinois House gave final passage Thursday to a bill establishing a new cabinet-level state agency whose mission will be to provide a kind of one-stop shop for services focusing on early childhood development and education.… MORE
Category Archives: State News
Illinois Senate bill would require insurers to cover continuous glucose monitors
Diabetics today are prescribed continuous glucose monitors. A bill would require insurers to cover more of them.… MORE
Secretary of State encouraging Illinoisans to get the REAL ID
With the federal deadline less than one year away, Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias is encouraging Illinoisans to “Get Real” and obtain a REAL ID.… MORE
Chicago mayor visits Illinois Capitol to meet with governor and legislative leaders
The goal was to lay the groundwork for some state dollars – maybe up to $1 billion.… MORE
Illinois saw massive increase in tourism in 2023
By WMBD-TV CHICAGO – Illinois saw 39% more international tourists in 2023 compared to the previous year, according to an Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity news release. Roughly 2.16 million were welcomed into the Land of Lincoln, brining with them nearly $2.7 billion into the Illinois economy. “This significant achievement highlights the growing…… MORE
Field Museum acquires fossil of earliest known bird
By WMBD-TV CHICAGO – The Field Museum unveiled its acquisition Monday of a fossil showing the earliest known bird species — Archaeopteryx. Only a dozen other Archaeopteryx specimens have been found with most of them in Europe. “Archaeopteryx is arguably the most important fossil ever discovered. It transformed how scientists see the world, by providing…… MORE
Gov. Pritzker hosts first ever ‘EV Showcase’
Gov. JB Pritzker continues to brag about the growth of the electric vehicle industry in Illinois.… MORE
Bill would require state to regulate and tax hemp-derived products
A bill at the Illinois Capitol would end the days of hemp being in a Wild West.… MORE
Illinois’ wine industry wants some help from state lawmakers
Illinois’ wine industry says it could use help from the General Assembly.… MORE
New leader of the Illinois National Guard
The new adjutant general of the Illinois National Guard is the first person of color to lead the organization.… 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…