By Dave Dahl SPRINGFIELD – The speaker of the Illinois House said Wednesday his political opponents want to sow fear and spread misinformation. Speaker Chris Welch (D-Hillside) told the City Club of Chicago that the elimination of cash bail, effective Jan. 1, is a good thing. “Those who want to repeat the Safe-T Act, ask…… MORE
By Dave Dahl SPRINGFIELD – The state’s lawyer-in-chief is following the argument over the Equal Rights Amendment all the way to Washington, D.C. Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul watched oral arguments in a federal appeals court Wednesday and afterward said the ERA belongs in the Constitution: “There is no time limit on equality.” Raoul said…… MORE
By 25 News BLOOMINGTON – The torch was passed in Bloomington Wednesday from one trailblazing jurist to another. The McLean County Law and Justice Center was the scene where outgoing Illinois Supreme Court Justice Rita Garman met with the public, accompanied by her chosen successor, Justice Lisa Holder White. McLean County is part of District 4, they region…… MORE
By Dave Dahl SPRINGFIELD – The state’s first elected statewide officer of Hispanic origin saluted her fellow Hispanics Monday. As part of Hispanic Heritage Month activities, comptroller Susana Mendoza talked about humble beginnings and – as a little girl – seeing her father stand up to another man’s admonition to speak English – as this…… MORE
Central Illinois Congressman Darin LaHood is introducing legislation to address mental and behavioral health care services.… MORE
By Dave Dahl SPRINGFIELD – The diminished total of jobless claims and growth in the fund itself allow the state to pay down $450 million in debt of the unemployment insurance trust fund. “Paying down debt means that we are paying less interest, so we are saving over the next year $10 million for taxpayers;…… MORE
By Dave Dahl SPRINGFIELD – A survey of Illinois schools finds that 88 percent of the districts responding have trouble filling vacancies in the classroom. And when we talk about a teacher shortage, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign College of Education associate dean Nancy Latham wants to re-frame the discussion. “We do not have a shortage…… MORE
By USDA SPRINGFIELD – There were 5.6 days suitable for field work during the week ending September 25, 2022. Statewide, the average temperature was 68.3 degrees, 6.4 degrees above normal. Precipitation averaged 0.88 inches, 0.05 inches above normal. Topsoil moisture supply was rated 11 percent very short, 10 percent short, 64 percent adequate, and 15…… MORE
By Dave Dahl SPRINGFIELD – The state Department of Agriculture is shedding a little light on how it came up with this year’s attendance numbers for the Illinois State Fair. It’s a sophisticated formula under industry-accepted standards, says ag director Jerry Costello. “The formula and the standards that are used are formulas and standards that…… MORE
By Dave Dahl SPRINGFIELD – A pair of former lawmakers have lost in the Illinois Supreme Court, in an attempt to gain a belated payday. The high court’s unanimous decision gave Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza a chance to take a victory lap. “I think it’s just the height of shamelessness to, once you leave office,…… 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…