By Dave Dahl SPRINGFIELD – If you have college-bound kids, you might urge them to major in engineering. There is a critical shortage, according to P.J. Fitzgerald, chairman of the American Council of Engineering Companies of Illinois. “The current demand for skilled engineers and thousands of engineering positions here in Illinois will remain unfilled if…… MORE
By Dave Dahl SPRINGFIELD – In the year 2023, you may be taking reliable, high-speed Internet for granted. But it’s still not available in some parts of Illinois. That’s where the Illinois Broadband Lab comes in, as a creation of state agencies and universities. University of Illinois associate vice president Jeannette Tamayo says the numbers…… MORE
By Dave Dahl SPRINGFIELD – Rookie U.S. Rep. Nikki Budzinski (D-Springfield) was in her district Tuesday to convene an agriculture roundtable. Budzinski said she learned a lot. “What we were able to pull together with our agricultural advisory council is an eclectic group of voices, all people who touch the agricultural space. Agriculture is critically…… MORE
By Dave Dahl SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois State Fair has lost its corn dog king. Loved ones of Bob Vose posted to social media Monday afternoon that Vose has passed away at 94. The Vose family has been feeding fairgoers for decades. Jeff Vose, a nephew, says he believes the corn dog legacy started with…… MORE
By Dave Dahl SPRINGFIELD – A new package of proposals at the statehouse takes on Big Insurance. In short, this would bring dental insurers under the same regulation as medical insurance. “This legislative package, More for Your Smile, is all about improving oral health care for patients by providing more transparency, more access, and more…… MORE
By IIS Radio SPRINGFIELD – Republican state lawmakers are critical of new spending in the governor’s proposed state budget. There’s about $3 billion in new spending in the plan, which doesn’t sit well with the GOP. They say it’s not wise as the nation faces a potential recession. State Rep. Joe Sosnowski (R-Rockford) adds that…… MORE
By IIS Radio SPRINGFIELD – Gov. JB Pritzker is unveiling a nearly $50 billion new state budget that makes a heavy investment in early childhood education. One of the biggest components of the governor’s spending plan is called “Smart Start Illinois.” It focuses on the importance of pre-school, quality child care, early intervention and home…… MORE
By Dave Dahl SPRINGFIELD – As Gov. JB Pritzker gives his State of the State and budget message today, Illinois House Republicans do not want him to forget the state’s shortcomings. “We have an acute shortage of child care workers in many parts of our state,” said State Rep. Jackie Haas (R-Bourbonnais). “The cost of…… MORE
By Dave Dahl SPRINGFIELD – When Illinois superintendents gathered to celebrate five years of the new school funding formula, some lawmakers wonder if it’s really something to celebrate. State Rep. Blaine Wilhour (R-Beecher City) told the superintendent from Vienna the results haven’t followed the funding. “Fourteen percent are doing math at grade level,” Wilhour said,…… MORE
By Dave Dahl SPRINGFIELD – Your utility bills are too high, and the Illinois Freedom Caucus says it’s Gov. JB Pritzker’s fault. “It’s just another attack on the middle class and seniors on fixed incomes, you know electric bills have been exploding under Gov. Pritzker’s radical agenda to destroy Illinois,” said State Rep. Chris Miller…… MORE
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.” …
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…
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…
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…