Politics
Former ComEd executive turned government informant Fidel Marquez called his ex-boss a “close” and “personal friend,” then detailed how she funneled hundreds of thousands of dollars to associates of former House Speaker Michael Madigan to stay on his winning side. The government’s star witness took the stand at the ComEd bribery trial on Monday as prosecutors presented FBI recordings…
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SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois House narrowly passed a bill Thursday that would allow businesses, universities and other building owners to designate multi-occupancy all-gender bathrooms if they choose to do so. The bill passed on a vote of 60-40, the bare minimum number of “yes” votes needed for passage in the 118-member House, after the presiding…
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SPRINGFIELD – Lawmakers are considering bills that would create a new tax credit for affordable housing, referred to as the “Build Illinois Homes Tax Credit.” The legislation, contained in the identical House Bill 2044 and Senate Bill 1737, would mirror a federal program administered by the Illinois Housing Development Authority and Chicago Department of Housing which helps finance affordable housing…
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CHICAGO – As was the case with many big legislative efforts in Springfield, former Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan’s staff was deeply involved in negotiations over what would become the Future Energy Jobs Act in 2015 and 2016. FEJA had many backers in environmental circles and organized labor – two key constituencies for Democrats in…
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CHICAGO – In April 2017, a top staffer in then-Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan’s office was looking to leave his job after a combined nearly 18 years working for the speaker’s office and as his political director. Will Cousineau applied for a high-level job with electric utility Commonwealth Edison, and the director of ComEd’s human…
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CHICAGO – Being the longtime friend of longtime Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan granted Mike McClain certain privileges not afforded to other lobbyists in Springfield, jurors heard in a federal corruption trial that, in part, centers around the relationship between the two. McClain “had pretty free access” to the offices in Madigan’s suite on the…
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The Illinois House passed 41 bills to the Senate Tuesday ahead of a scheduled Friday deadline. The measures, among others, included a ban on polystyrene food containers, bills focusing on gender inclusivity in state law and a requirement that expectant parents have a “duty” to split pregnancy-related costs, including for abortions. Below are a few…
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Jury hears 16 more recorded calls; Rep. says Madigan ruled ‘through fear and intimidation’ CHICAGO – Facing a perceived betrayal during a make-or-break election season in 2018, former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan called the person he often sought counsel from: longtime friend and confidant Mike McClain. Several Democratic candidates running for the state Senate…
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CHICAGO — A veteran Democratic state lawmaker who sponsored major gaming legislation in the Illinois House of Representatives told a federal jury Monday that former Speaker Michael Madigan once ruled that chamber “through fear and intimidation.” When asked what Madigan valued most in other legislators, state Rep. Robert “Bob” Rita answered, “loyalty.” And before the…
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Missouri is one of just 13 states that levies a sales tax on grocery food items. Citing the hefty burden on low-income shoppers and rising cost of food, several other states have moved to reduce the burden of the grocery sales tax. Kansas began phasing it out this year and Illinois suspended the tax for one year. But in Missouri, renewed bipartisan…
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SPRINGFIELD – Illinois lawmakers are debating whether the state should join a growing list of jurisdictions in the United States that allow voters to pick more than one candidate for an office, ranking them in order of preference rather than choosing just one. Ranked choice voting, or as it’s sometimes called, “instant runoff voting,” actually…
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CHICAGO – In fall 2018, longtime former State Rep. Lou Lang, D-Skokie, received a phone call from Mike McClain, who had spent decades lobbying for electric utility Commonwealth Edison after 10 years in the General Assembly. McClain was delivering a message from House Speaker Michael Madigan, who was worried Lang was becoming a liability to…
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CHICAGO – Michael J. Madigan couldn’t be bothered to call one of his top deputies, who had decades of experience in the legislature, to tell him it was time to step down over a brewing allegation of misconduct that might go public. So the powerful Illinois House speaker got on the phone with his key…
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Trial’s second day included hours of opening arguments, first witness CHICAGO – Former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan isn’t set to go on trial for racketeering and corruption charges until next summer, but his decades of power in Illinois government and politics loomed large Wednesday as opening arguments got underway in a related case. Madigan’s name…
Read Full Article CHICAGO — For the first time since their indictment on corruption and bribery charges in November 2020, three former lobbyists and one former executive of electric utility Commonwealth Edison appeared at the Dirksen Federal Courthouse in Chicago on Tuesday – the first day of what’s expected to be a six-to-eight-week trial. It’s Illinois’ biggest public…
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SPRINGFIELD – Illinois lawmakers advanced a bill last week that would effectively abolish life sentences for any incarcerated individual who was under the age of 21 when they received their sentence. In January, Gov. JB Pritzker signed a law that makes any individual who was under the age of 21 when sentenced to life in prison eligible…
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SPRINGFIELD – Gov. JB Pritzker signed Senate Bill 208 into law Monday, ensuring at least 40 hours of paid leave for Illinois workers. Effective Jan. 1, 2024, workers will begin to earn paid leave on their first day at a rate of one hour of leave for every 40 hours worked, up to 40 hours of paid…
Read Full Article CHICAGO — Michael J. Madigan will likely never step foot in the federal courtroom where four former political power players are about to face trial, accused of trying to bribe the longtime Illinois House speaker to benefit ComEd. But the case starting Tuesday is all about Madigan. And once it’s underway, it is expected to…
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SPRINGFIELD – Parents who make money posting videos of their children on social media channels may soon be legally required to share that revenue with their kids. The Illinois Senate Labor Committee this week unanimously approved a bill that would guarantee children a right to a percentage of that revenue if the videos meet certain criteria. “Parents…
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MEMPHIS, Mo. — The ousted administrator of a northeast Missouri hospital is accusing board members and employees of conspiring to have him fired by falsely claiming he violated federal laws and embezzled millions. In a lawsuit filed Wednesday, Dr. Randy Tobler claims he has been unable to find employment because of the way he was fired…
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CHICAGO – Religious and environmental ideals are at odds for some in the ongoing debate around what to do with human remains. A proposal at the Illinois Statehouse would legalize and regulate “natural organic reduction,” a process in which human remains are rapidly decomposed into compost. The process is also known as human composting or…
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SPRINGFIELD – Illinois lawmakers began working through mountains of proposed legislation this week as a Friday deadline approaches for bills to pass out of their original committees. As of Tuesday, more than 6,500 bills had been introduced in the 2023 session. While many of those bills could miss that deadline, there are multiple ways to…
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SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Gov. JB Pritzker on Friday highlighted a proposed grant program that would direct $70 million per year over the next three years to school districts facing the greatest teacher shortages. The Teacher Pipeline Grant Program, which Pritzker included in his budget proposal to lawmakers, would target vacancies in 170 school districts that…
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SPRINGFIELD — One year ago today, former House Speaker Michael Madigan – for decades the most powerful figure in Illinois politics – was indicted on 22 counts of racketeering, bribery, wire fraud and extortion. The anniversary comes roughly two years after Madigan’s fellow Democrats forced him to cede the title of longest-serving speaker of any legislature in…
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ELGIN, Ill. — Illinois Governor JB Pritzker visited Streamwood High School in Elgin to highlight a new teacher pipeline initiative aimed at addressing chronic shortages in the state’s most understaffed districts. The proposed Teacher Pipeline Grant Program will direct $70 million per year over the next three years to the 170 school districts with the…
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SPRINGFIELD – Gov. JB Pritzker on Wednesday announced the release of nearly $60 million in grant funding to help local governments develop public parks and open spaces, over 20 percent of which will go to “distressed” communities. The money through the Open Space Land Acquisition and Development grants was distributed to 118 projects, all but…
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SPRINGFIELD – S&P Global Ratings announced Thursday that it had raised Illinois’ long-term credit rating to A-, up from BBB+, marking the seventh upgrade the state has received from a major rating agency in less than two years. The rating applies to roughly $27.7 billion in outstanding general obligation, or GO, bonds. “The upgrade on…
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SPRINGFIELD – A bill that would allow restaurants, hotels and other public places to designate “all-gender multiple-occupancy” restrooms passed out of a House committee Wednesday, sending it to the full House for consideration. House Bill 1286, sponsored by Rep. Katie Stuart, D-Edwardsville, is similar to one that passed through the House in 2021 but died…
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All 59 Republican members of the Illinois General Assembly are calling for legislative hearings on a state-run mental health center in rural southern Illinois, citing findings of a culture of abuse, cover-ups and poor patient care from a monthslong investigative series by Lee Enterprises Midwest, Capitol News Illinois and ProPublica. Late last week, the members sent a…
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MACOMB, Ill. — Gov. JB Pritzker is touring the state to promote his Smart Start Illinois program. His travels brought him to Macomb on Tuesday afternoon, where he visited with staff and students at MacArthur Early Childhood Center. “Every study about early childhood says the same thing: 90% of brain development occurs (during ages) zero…
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QUINCY — After a litany of public speakers who spoke in support of the Police and Fire Commission and, in some instances, chastise Mayor Mike Troup, the mayor’s nomination of Angela Caldwell to that commission failed for the second straight week at Tuesday’s Quincy City Council meeting. Retired Quincy Police Chief Rob Copley said he…
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Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious diseases expert and a medical adviser to seven U.S. presidents, will address graduating students at Washington University School of Medicine in May, the school announced last week. But the speech by Fauci — who became a figure of scorn among some Republicans for his actions during the coronavirus…
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QUINCY — At the annual Adams County Farm Bureau Viewpoint Luncheon, State Representative Norinne Hammond (R-Macomb) made an observation that summed up the state of Illinois’ Republican caucus in both chambers of the General Assembly. “Right now, in this room, we have 10 percent of the House Republican Caucus,” she said. Counting herself and fellow…
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State Sen. Jil Tracy (R-Quincy) and other Republican lawmakers commented Wednesday about Gov. JB Pritzker’s Budget Address. “In his State of the State/Budget Address, Gov. Pritzker is claiming fiscal success, but it is important to remember that any improvement in the state’s fiscal outlook is the direct result of a massive influx of federal dollars and higher-than-expected tax…
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SPRINGFIELD – Gov. JB Pritzker on Wednesday laid out a $49.6 billion spending plan for the upcoming fiscal year that calls for significant new spending for early childhood education and efforts to combat homelessness among other areas. He also claimed credit for putting the state back on more secure financial footing. Speaking to a joint…
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The Missouri Senate passed a sweeping education bill to the House on Tuesday that would create transparency requirements for school districts and ban them from teaching some diversity, equity and inclusion curriculum. The bill also seeks to add a patriotism course for teachers, open transportation funding to intradistrict transfer programs and increase funding for districts…
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HANNIBAL, Mo. — Communicating with healthcare providers can be as simple as a phone call away thanks to a medical practice that began during COVID. Tamitha Ague has watched the success of audio telehealth through her 77-year-old father navigating his healthcare. After a hospital stay, Ague’s father won’t have a follow-up appointment until March. While…
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SPRINGFIELD – As many as 700,000 Illinoisans may lose Medicaid coverage in the months following March 31, but the Department of Healthcare and Family Services says it is working to reduce that number and help those affected find health insurance elsewhere. Medicaid is a health insurance program for poor and disabled people that is jointly…
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SPRINGFIELD – A coalition of advocacy and labor groups is pushing for a state law to give Illinois workers 26 weeks of paid leave if they need to recover from an illness, domestic or sexual violence, or take care of a sick family member or new child. The same groups just celebrated a legislative victory…
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SPRINGFIELD – Gov. JB Pritzker’s second-term legislative agenda will kick off in earnest next week as he proposes his fifth annual state budget to lawmakers in the General Assembly. But while a governor’s proposal usually provides the framework for the state’s annual spending plan, it rarely makes it through the General Assembly untouched by lawmakers…
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SPRINGFIELD – Sustained higher-than-predicted state tax revenues have in recent months given lawmakers a level of budgeting flexibility that is, at least in modern times, without precedent in a state with a reputation for perilous finances. For the current fiscal year and the one before it, that’s led to another uncommon Capitol occurrence: budget surpluses…
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SPRINGFIELD – People who’ve been subject to fingerprinting, face or retinal scans as either employees or customers of Illinois companies have five years to file lawsuits if they believe the business violated a stringent state privacy law, the Illinois Supreme Court ruled this week. It’s the latest in a handful of cases that have reached…
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SPRINGFIELD – Illinois schools are still grappling with a teacher shortage that seems to only be getting worse, a recent survey by the Illinois Association of Regional Superintendents of Schools shows. This mirrors the state’s own data, which shows Illinois’ teacher shortage is at the highest level in the last five years. More than 5,300 classroom positions,…
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CHICAGO — Illinois Governor JB Pritzker announced the state’s public health emergency will end on May 11, aligning the state with the federal government’s decision to end the national public health emergency. Ensuring Illinois’ and the federal government’s health emergencies were linked brought in additional federal funding and expanded healthcare access for residents across the state.…
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Missouri attorney general calls for Columbia Public Schools staff to resign after drag show incident
COLUMBIA, Mo. — On the radio program 93.9 The Eagle’s “Wake up Mid-Missouri” with Branden Rathert and 104.5 NewsRadio KWOS, Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey called for the resignation of some Columbia Public Schools officials after sending school children the 2023 Columbia Values Diversity Celebration that included a drag show presentation that took place on…
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SPRINGFIELD — For newly sworn-in Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias, customer service is the central mission as he assumes the state’s second-largest constitutional office, replacing the man who had held it for nearly a quarter century. “Modernization and bringing new technology is going to be at the forefront of everything we do,” Giannoulias said in…
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Illinois State Police are looking to consolidate several federal cases challenging Illinois’ gun ban into one. The Crawford County state-level case filed earlier this month was the first case to be filed in state court after Gov. J.B. Pritzker enacted the ban on more than 170 semi-automatic guns and magazines over a certain capacity. The…
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There will be no PEEPEE, SUKIT or DUCKYOU for Illinois drivers. Those are just a few of the nearly 400 requests for vanity and personalized license plates that were rejected by the Illinois Secretary of State’s office in 2022, according to Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias. Last year, 54,236 Illinoisans requested vanity and personalized plate…
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JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Republican legislators have made it clear that challenging the authority of St. Louis’ elected prosecutor Kimberly Gardner — a progressive Black Democrat — is a top priority this year. And they’ll be searching for a way to make that challenge constitutional. On the first day of the legislative session, Republican state…
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SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois State Rifle Association has joined forces with other gun rights advocates in filing a federal lawsuit challenging the state’s new ban on the sale and manufacture of semiautomatic weapons and high-capacity magazines. It’s the latest legal challenge to the law, which went into effect upon Gov. JB Pritzker’s signature on Jan.…
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Early in his annual State of the State address on Wednesday, Missouri Gov. Mike Parson sang the praises of an income tax cut enacted by the Republican-dominated General Assembly late last year. Closer to the end of his nearly one-hour speech to a joint session of the legislature, Parson vowed to “support and defend our law enforcement…
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SPRINGFIELD – Despite Illinois’ efforts to smoothly integrate electric vehicles into the state’s economy, a new report from the Illinois Economic Policy Institute is warning of a potential steep decline in transportation revenue as the process of electrification accelerates. The primary issue is motor fuel taxes, which will see a significant drop as more electric vehicles make…
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QUINCY — The Quincy City Council waived the usual three readings and approved a lease to provide temporary office space for Congresswoman Mary Miller (R-15th District). The issue was discussed at length at the Jan. 9 City Council meeting and Mayor Mike Troup said it was a temporary solution while Miller’s staff looked for a…
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First lawsuits filed in state courts, more expected in federal court SPRINGFIELD – A trio of gun owners and a firearms retailer in southeastern Illinois have filed the first two lawsuits in what’s expected to be a flurry of litigation against the state’s new law banning the sale and manufacture of assault weapons in Illinois.…
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SPRINGFIELD — Dozens of county sheriffs in Illinois — approximately “80-ish,” per Illinois Sheriffs’ Association head Jim Kaitschuck — say they’ll refuse to enforce a provision of a new assault weapons ban that would require owners of such guns to register them with the state. One of those sheriffs is Tony Grootens from Adams County.…
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SPRINGFIELD – Gov. JB Pritzker signed a bill into law Friday expanding access to abortion and other reproductive health care services. House Bill 4664, passed Tuesday during the General Assembly’s “lame duck” session, came in response to the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in June overturning the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision and declaring that the…
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SPRINGFIELD – A bill that would guarantee a minimum of 40 hours of paid leave per year for all Illinois workers passed both chambers of the General Assembly Tuesday and will soon head to Gov. JB Pritzker, who says he will sign it. Under Senate Bill 208, workers begin to earn paid leave on their first…
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QUINCY — Illinois Governor JB Pritzker joined local, state, and community leaders to celebrate the final structural beam being placed at the Quincy Veterans’ Home. The “Topping Out” ceremony marks a significant milestone in the nearly $300 million renovation and rehabilitation project that will provide a 260,000 square foot residential long-term care facility and 80,000 square foot independent…
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QUINCY — Adams County Sheriff Tony Grootens was one of several sheriffs in Downstate Illinois to announce they will not be fully enforcing the new Protect Illinois Communities Act, which has also been called an assault weapons ban. In a statement issued Wednesday, Grootens said he believes the new law is a “clear violation of…
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QUINCY — Illinois Governor JB Pritzker will attend a ceremony today where the last structural beam will be placed atop the new long-term care facility at the Illinois Veterans Home. The Illinois Department of Veterans’ Affairs and the Capital Development Board are hosting the topping-off ceremony at 10:30 a.m where the last beam will be…
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State workers would get their biggest pay raise in living memory under a plan proposed Wednesday by Missouri Gov. Mike Parson. In a news release, Parson said he wants to boost all state workers by 8.7% and to offer a $2 an hour night shift differential to employees in four agencies responsible for people under…
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At Tuesday night’s Adams County Board meeting, a bid for $700,000 was approved to replace the camera and door access systems installed in the Adams County Jail. Verkada, a San Mateo, California-based company, won the bid over two other companies. The new system will be cloud-based and replace a system less than five years old.…
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SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – On the first full day of his second term, Gov. JB Pritzker on Tuesday signed a bill banning the sale, distribution and manufacture of high-power assault weapons, .50 caliber rifles and ammunition, and large-capacity magazines while still allowing people who already own such weapons to keep them. Pritzker signed the bill during…
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SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – Gov. JB Pritzker was sworn in to his second term Monday with the state’s other constitutional officers, promising a bold and ambitious agenda for the next four years. The ceremony was held at the Bank of Springfield Center, the same venue that for several months served as a makeshift House floor during…
Read Full Article SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — State Senator Jil Tracy (R-Quincy) said Democrat leaders have “sidestepped full legislative accountability” by forcing through votes on a controversial gun control bill during the General Assembly’s lame-duck session on Jan. 9. The 102nd General Assembly is scheduled to adjourn on Tuesday with the 103rd General Assembly convening the following day, Jan. 11. Tracy…
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QUINCY — The first reading of an ordinance to lease office space in City Hall to Congresswoman Mary Miller enticed one speaker to address the Quincy City Council during Monday’s meeting, but Quincy Mayor Mike Troup said the arrangement would only be temporary. Miller handily won the 15th District Congressional seat over Democrat Paul Lange…
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Congresswoman Mary Miller (R-IL) said the actions taken by Republicans in the House of Representatives “stops reckless spending and holds the Biden Administration accountable to the American people.” “I promised my constituents that I would fight to change the status quo in the DC swamp, and thanks to 20 members who insisted on change, we can…
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Several major measures – including a wide-ranging bill expanding abortion access and gender-affirming health care in Illinois, along with legislation that would ban the sale and manufacture of many high-powered weapons – advanced out of the state House this week. They’ll still need approval in the Senate before they can head to Gov. JB Pritzker, who…
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Larry Ehmen, a retired teacher and businessman who also ran for an elected office because he wanted to abolish that office, died Wednesday in Blessing Hospital. Ehmen was 82. His list of public service, community and political service was lengthy. He was an unapologetic Conservative Republican. During a two-year stint on the Adams County Board,…
Read Full Article SPRINGFIELD – An appeal to the Illinois Supreme Court regarding the constitutionality of a state law that would end cash bail appears to be at least two months away from resolution under a new timeline approved by the court Thursday. Attorney General Kwame Raoul filed the agreed motion setting the timeline for the high court’s appeal of…
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The Missouri Attorney General’s office will operate in “unyielding pursuit of victory,” Andrew Bailey said Tuesday as he was being sworn into office. Bailey, in a short speech before a crowd of about 150 gathered at the Missouri Supreme Court building, said he’s grateful to Gov. Mike Parson for appointing him. Speaking to reporters afterwards,…
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QUINCY — As Muddy River News first reported on Dec. 30, Quincy Mayor Mike Troup wants an investigation into the process of how Quincy Police Chief Adam Yates became chief. The Police and Fire Commission met Tuesday morning and Troup attended the meeting. The commission went into executive session for about 20 minutes and Troup…
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The Illinois Supreme Court stayed the controversial no-cash bail provisions of the SAFE-T Act Dec. 31, halting the elimination of cash bail statewide while the lower court’s decision is heard on appeal. The order targeting the pretrial provision of the Safety, Accountability, Fairness and Equality-Today Act came just hours before the omnibus bill was set to take…
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With the passing of Amendment 3 in November, parents in Missouri now have a new conversation to navigate: Adult cannabis (marijuana) use. As someone who works in alcohol and drug education, I’ve seen firsthand the impacts of substance use disorder in our communities, particularly on young people. Talking about drugs and alcohol with your kids…
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For any Illinoisan who was gifted a new smartphone, it comes with the nation’s highest taxes for wireless services. Combined federal, state and local tax rates for Illinois cell phones average just shy of 35% of monthly bills, according to Tax Foundation data. That gives Illinois the distinction of topping the nation for wireless taxes. No…
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Gas prices nationwide are going down, but gas taxes in Illinois are going up in the new year. Illinois is scheduled for two gas tax increases in 2023, first Jan. 1 and then July 1. The increase amount isn’t official yet, but Illinois Policy Institute estimates roughly a 3-cent increase per gallon to 42.4 cents starting…
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SPRINGFIELD – A Kankakee County judge ruled Wednesday that lawmakers overreached their constitutional authority in passing a measure to abolish cash bail in Illinois, while other provisions in the wide-ranging SAFE-T Act criminal justice reform were not affected by the ruling. The ruling by Judge Thomas W. Cunnington leaves the impending cash bail reform in limbo…
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SPRINGFIELD – By now, almost everyone in Illinois has heard that Jan. 1 will mark the beginning of a significant change in the state’s criminal justice system – the elimination of cash bail. It’s an issue that dominated the 2022 campaigns and has been both praised and criticized on editorial pages in newspapers across the…
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A Kankakee County judge has ruled that the part of the controversial SAFE-T Act that ends cash bail across is unconstitutional. Judge Thomas W. Cunnington issued the ruling Wednesday night and it comes four days before cash bail was to be abolished across the state. In his ruling, Cunnington wrote “the appropriateness of bail rests…
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SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois minimum wage is set to increase another dollar on Sunday, Jan. 1, 2023, making the new required minimum wage $13 an hour. Minimum wage workers are encouraged to keep a close eye on their paychecks in the new year as any time worked in 2023 must reflect the new $13 an hour…
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SPRINGFIELD – For Illinois’ homeless populations and those that serve them, the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated a crisis – the volunteer, mostly faith-based shelters that had long been the backbone of the state’s emergency housing system were closing their doors. But with the crisis – and a sudden influx of temporary federal, state and philanthropic funding…
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Illinoisans who stop by the neighbors’ for eggnog this December will need to find someone to watch the kids, or they could find themselves under investigation by the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services. Unlike the parents in the Chicagoland Christmas classic “Home Alone,” Illinoisans can face investigation, arrest and even loss of custody of their…
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SPRINGFIELD – Some of the state’s leading law enforcement officials on Tuesday urged lawmakers to pass a statewide ban on high-power, high-capacity weapons, which they say are growing in prevalence in Illinois. “What the public asks members of the law enforcement community to do each and every day is stunning, knowing full well that the…
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From Missouri Independent: A ban on federal employees using TikTok on their government-issued phones is on track to become law after Congress included the provision in the year-end government funding bill released early Tuesday. U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley’s legislation barring the popular social media platform from federal devices was one of several bills attached to the spending measure, the…
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Filings for School Boards in Illinois closed Monday evening. Listed below are the people running for those seats in the school district in Quincy and in Adams County.
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SPRINGFIELD – A legislative committee on Thursday heard more witnesses call for a ban on high-power, semi-automatic rifles and large-capacity magazines, but some experts said that alone won’t solve the problem of violent crime in Illinois. During its second hearing on a proposed assault weapon ban, an Illinois House committee, meeting in Chicago, heard from…
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SPRINGFIELD – Victims and survivors of multiple mass shootings urged state lawmakers on Monday to pass a ban on assault weapons, arguing that communities throughout Illinois have felt the pain of deadly mass shootings. “I was shot multiple times on the Fourth of July in Highland Park,” Lauren Bennett said during a legislative committee meeting…
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QUINCY — Five people have filed to run for the Quincy School Board as filings for the 2023 consolidated election have begun throughout Illinois. Three incumbents — Quincy School Board President Shelley Arns and board members Jim Whitfield and LaTonya Brock filed on Monday’s first day of filing. Two other people also filed on Monday:…
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More than a hundred grassroots activists, defeated candidates and party loyalists descended on a meeting of the Illinois Republican Party’s top leaders on Saturday, voicing frustration over last month’s election results that extended the state’s one-party Democratic governance. But after four hours and nearly 60 speakers, Illinois GOP ChairmanDon Tracy survived a sometimes raucous Republican…
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While a crocheted serpent took its place on the Capitol rotunda this week and the governor signed a pair of major bills passed in the recent veto session, history was happening on the Illinois Supreme Court. For the first time in its history, the state’s high court is made up of a majority of women…
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Crista Hogan estimates tens of thousands of people in Greene County are eligible to clean their criminal records of old non-violent misdemeanor and felony offenses — offenses she says limits their access to good-paying jobs and safe housing. But under state law, it requires people to file an arduous petition in court, along with a…
Read Full Article CHICAGO – Governor JB Pritzker signed HB1095 on Tuesday, which provides a series of amendments and clarifications to the SAFE-T Act, originally passed in 2021. The bill clarifies the detention net, expands processes for transitioning to cashless bail on January 1, and offers specifying definitions of willful flight and dangerousness, among other changes. “I’m pleased that…
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QUINCY — As the newly-seated members of the Adams County Board drew lots to determine the lengths of their terms for the next decade, Chairman Kent Snider smiled and chuckled a bit when he drew the “short straw” of a two-year term during Monday night’s special board meeting and lottery for term lengths. It just…
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A new survey found 40% of Illinois’ small businesses were unable to pay rent on time or in full during November, up 8 percentage points from October as the state’s most prolific job creators grappled with higher rent prices, inflation and reduced consumer spending. Illinois small businesses reported the third-largest monthly increase in rent delinquency and sixth-highest…
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SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – Lawmakers on Thursday passed a long-awaited amendment to the SAFE-T Act criminal justice reform’s provisions that will eliminate cash bail when the calendar hits 2023. The measure expands the list of crimes for which a judge can order pretrial detention, adds to what a judge can consider when determining if a defendant…
Read Full Article SPRINGFIELD – State Sen. Jil Tracy (R-Quincy) says legislative changes approved Thursday by the Senate do make improvements to the controversial SAFE-T Act but do not fully address the front-line concerns of public safety personnel tasked with protecting Illinoisans. “The changes approved Dec. 1 contain some much-needed changes. However, many glaring shortcomings remain. I support our…
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QUINCY — Adams County office holders elected on Nov. 8 were sworn in Thursday morning at the Adams County Courthouse. Ryan Niekamp, a Republican, was re-elected to his first full term in office as county clerk and recorder. He defeated Democrat Arianna Downard-Salih in the general election. Recorder F. Bryden Cory, also a Republican, was…
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SPRINGFIELD – Two days before lawmakers were scheduled to adjourn for the year, one of the lead negotiators of the SAFE-T Act criminal justice reform filed a long-awaited amendment detailing several changes to the landmark cash bail overhaul. Sen. Robert Peters, D-Chicago, filed a 308-page amendment to House Bill 1095 on Tuesday that contained several…
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Local governments in Illinois should brace for the unknown with some expecting conflicts between the SAFE-T Act and a looming constitutional amendment enshrining collective bargaining rights. Illinois state lawmakers are back in Springfield Tuesday for the final three days of session before the SAFE-T Act’s no-cash bail law takes effect Jan. 1. When lawmakers were…
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For the first time in its history, the only real limit on what Missouri can buy on a cash-and-carry basis is the imagination of the people spending the money. The state treasury is bulging with more than $6 billion in surplus cash, the result of 28 months of double-digit revenue growth and federal payments tied…
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