By Dave Dahl SPRINGFIELD – You can color Gov. JB Pritzker “gobsmacked,” and when was the last time you heard a governor use that word? He reacted to Wednesday’s unveiling of the 101st edition of the butter cow, an Illinois State Fair staple. Sculptor Sarah Pratt of Iowa has finished her sixth creation for the…… MORE
By Dave Dahl SPRINGFIELD – U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) is defending the FBI’s raid on former president Donald Trump’s Florida estate, Mar-a-Lago. “I feel certain, not knowing any details directly, that they wouldn’t have taken an historic and monumental step without thoughtful consideration and checking all the boxes,” Durbin said at an unrelated news…… MORE
Now that gubernatorial candidate State Sen. Darren Bailey (R-Xenia) has drawn more criticism for comparing abortion to the Holocaust, Republicans all over the state are being asked about it.… MORE
Illinoisans can sign up for permanent mail-in voting starting Wednesday.… MORE
By Dave Dahl SPRINGFIELD – As so often happens, the newsmakers show up at an event, and the reporters’ questions are about something different. Monday was no exception. Indiana’s solidifying abortion restrictions, causing major employers Eli Lilly and Cummins to wonder how much more business they want to do there. Chicago mayor Lori Lightfoot would…… MORE
By Dave Dahl SPRINGFIELD – The Republicans for governor and attorney general in Illinois picked up some police union endorsements Monday. The Chicago and state Fraternal Order of Police are backing Sen. Darren Bailey (R-Xenia) for governor. “If you think crime in Illinois is bad now,” said Bailey, “what in the world is it going…… MORE
By 25 News NORMAL – Gov. JB Pritzker on Monday announced he’s naming an Illinois State University graduate to fill one of the vacant positions on the school’s governing board. The Illinois Senate has yet to confirm Anthony Byrd’s appointment to ISU’s Board of Trustees. Byrd is an adjunct criminal justice instructor for Lindenwood University…… MORE
By USDA SPRINGFIELD – There were 4.5 days suitable for field work during the week ending August 7, 2022. Statewide, the average temperature was 78.6 degrees, 4.9 degrees above normal. Precipitation averaged 1.50 inches, 0.60 inches above normal. Topsoil moisture supply was rated 8 percent very short, 16 percent short, 58 percent adequate, and 18…… MORE
By Jake Fogal CHICAGO – The Republicans for governor and attorney general in Illinois picked up some police union endorsements today (Monday). Dave Dahl reports. The Chicago and state Fraternal Order of Police are backing Sen. Darren Bailey (R-Xenia) for governor. “If you think crime in Illinois is bad now,” said Bailey, “what in the…… MORE
Chronic absenteeism and a growing teacher shortage are among the challenges to public education. … 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…