“Comptroller’s Critters” is a pet project of Illinois comptroller Susana Mendoza, though the late comptroller and treasurer Judy Baar Topinka started it.… MORE
Category Archives: State News
Capitol Briefs: Pritzker signs executive order for strategic plan on aging Illinoisans
Gov. JB Pritzker on Tuesday kicked off a decade-long process to address the needs of aging Illinoisans, signing an executive order to hire a chief planning officer within the state’s Department on Aging.… MORE
Sangamon County Board heard from many community members regarding the death of Sonya Massey
More than five weeks after a Sangamon County sheriff’s deputy shot and killed a Black woman, Sonya Massey, in her home, members of the Sangamon County Board listened to members of the public get many things off their collective chests.… MORE
Illinois cracks top 5 states for most Olympic medals
By WMBD-TV CHICAGO – Team USA had a successful showing at the 2024 Olympics, but how did the states do individually? The Sports Geek compiled a list of medals by state, and Illinois ranked #4 in the country for most medals won with 17. The top three states were California, Florida and Texas. You can…… MORE
Naturalization ceremony to be held at Illinois State Fair
By Dave Dahl SPRINGFIELD – The 2024 Illinois State Fair will be unforgettable for two hundred fairgoers who will become United States citizens. It’s a first-time event for the fair. Judge Colleen Lawless said becoming a citizen is a long journey, “and this is the finish line for them, and I know they are extremely…… MORE
Judge orders prison officials to relocate Stateville population by Sept. 30
A federal judge is ordering Gov. JB Pritzker’s administration to move the vast majority of those incarcerated at Stateville Correctional Center near Joliet out of the aging prison by the end of September, citing health and safety concerns posed by the facility.… MORE
Senator Durbin discusses child safety online at stop in Springfield
When the big tech companies enable online child abuse, U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) wants to hit them in the pocketbook.… MORE
Pritzker signs law allowing digital driver’s licenses among hundreds of other bills
Gov. JB Pritzker on Monday signed a measure designating the “giant puffball” as the state’s mushroom after signing hundreds of bills on Friday, completing action on legislation sent to him by lawmakers this spring. … MORE
State leaders honor Vets at the first Sunday of the Illinois State Fair
Maj. Gen. Rodney Boyd (pictured), recently installed as commander of the Illinois National Guard, gave some insight into the lives of the few who serve: “Veterans have faced our fair share of some challenges. … MORE
Twilight Parade wraps up day one of Illinois State Fair
Illinois 4-Hers are the grand marshals of the 2024 Illinois State Fair.… 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…