Politics
CHICAGO – Jury selection began Tuesday in the trial of former AT&T Illinois president Paul La Schiazza, who federal prosecutors allege bribed once-powerful Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan in exchange for favorable legislation in Springfield. It’s the last in a series of related trials that have played out in Chicago’s Dirksen Federal Courthouse over the…
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Missourians will have the opportunity to vote to enshrine abortion in the state constitution this November, the Missouri Supreme Court ruled Tuesday. In a decision published less than three hours before the constitutional deadline to remove a question from the ballot, the Supreme Court reversed a lower court’s ruling that recommended the measure be stripped…
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The Missouri Supreme Court will decide whether an abortion-rights will end up on the Nov. 5 ballot after a Cole County judge ruled the proposed amendment violated state law. The case bypassed the court of appeals over the weekend and headed straight to the state’s highest court, which scheduled oral arguments for 8:30 a.m. Tuesday…
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SEDALIA — On a hot and humid afternoon in the Swine Barn of the Missouri State Fair in Sedalia, brothers Cole and Ty Murphy keep watch over their two hogs. Ty, 14, said he likes the hard work caring for pigs requires. “Every night we’re walking them for five to 10 minutes, working hair, cleaning…
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Growing unrest over the policies coming out of Cook County is spurring talk among downstate counties of breaking free and forming a new state. Illinois Separation revealed that seven counties will vote on separating from Cook County and forming a new state. Spokesman Eric Ivers, a member of the Jersey County Board, said he is confident that…
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Several stories and columns appeared in the national news media shortly before and during the recent Democratic National Convention about Vice President Kamala Harris’ emphasis on the concept of “freedom” in her speeches and messaging. Convention delegates in Chicago hoisted signs with the word “Freedom” on them all week. Oprah Winfrey even talked about freedom…
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Families flock to McDonald County in southwest Missouri each summer to float down the Elk River, visit the caves where Jesse James took refuge and stay in a rustic cabin. The county is a vestige of old, wild Missouri charm — and a place where restaurants and bars still ask, “Smoking or non?” People in…
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An Illinois law intended to help people with mental illness avoid confrontations with police had been on the books for three years when Sonya Massey was shot by a Sangamon County Sheriff’s deputy. The Community Emergency Services and Supports Act, or CESSA, requires mental and behavioral health calls to 911 be handled by mental health…
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QUINCY — Author and former University of Iowa sociology professor, Mark Chaffee, will be facilitating open community forums on issues facing the electorate in Burlington and Keokuk, Iowa, Quincy and Macomb. The forums are focused on “Better Informing Our ‘Consent’: Some Problems Confronting ‘We, The People.'” Chaffee’s work has focused on what pulls humans apart…
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Independent U.S. Senate candidate Jared Young won an endorsement Thursday from a Republican stalwart and former mentor of current Sen. Josh Hawley. Republican John Danforth, who served three terms in the U.S. Senate representing Missouri from 1976-1995, announced his endorsement of Young, a Webb City resident, in a written release. Young is a conservative and running…
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QUINCY — Quincy Police Sgt. Brent Holtman, Sgt. Ryan Witt and Det. David Distin spent last week in Chicago working as mobile field force members of the Illinois Law Enforcement Alarm Systems team (ILEAS) for the Democratic National Convention. During the convention, these officers and their team provided dignitary security at the hotels in thesurrounding…
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SPRINGFIELD – A law banning political parties from waiting until after the primary election to place a state legislative candidate on the general election ballot won’t keep any Republicans from running this November. The Illinois Supreme Court and State Board of Elections each made rulings Friday ensuring that a law rushed through by Democrats in…
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Marijuana companies face a hard deadline to meet Missouri’s new plain packaging requirements on Sept. 1 — more than a year after the rule was initially put in place. For decades, there’s been a global movement urging “plain packaging” on tobacco products — or packaging with limited colors and frills — after numerous studies found it makes…
Read Full Article Since the 2022 election, far too many Illinoisans have been far too eager to pine for a repeat of the past. It started with non-stop rumors about Gov. JB Pritzker running for president. Every word he spoke, every position he took, every out of state trip he made was examined for signs of what everybody…
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A group hoping to build a new casino near the Lake of the Ozarks filed a lawsuit Tuesday arguing it collected more than enough signatures to earn a spot on the November ballot. The Osage River Gaming & Convention Committee is asking a judge to reverse a decision by the Missouri secretary of state’s office…
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CHICAGO – Cheered on by an Illinois delegation watching from the floor of the United Center, Gov. JB Pritzker on Tuesday night embraced an identity that’s generally proven alienating in both Democratic and Republican politics: being extremely wealthy. “Donald Trump thinks that we should trust him on the economy, because he claims to be very…
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CHICAGO – In announcing Chicago would host of the 2024 Democratic National Convention more than a year ago, national party leaders referred to Illinois as a key part of the “blue wall” of Midwestern states crucial to President Joe Biden’s 2020 election. Instead of choosing a venue in a swing state, as they had done…
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Mike Farha has been a Republican alderman representing Quincy’s 4th Ward for 26 years. For most of that time, he has been a reliable advocate for his constituents, whether it was commercial encroachment on residential neighborhoods or taking care of stop signs, streets or sidewalks. As he enters the twilight of his political tenure, he’s…
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An appeals court has reversed state regulators’ approval of a permit for the Illinois portion of an 800-mile, high-voltage transmission line, setting up a possible fight at the state’s Supreme Court. The Grain Belt Express, or GBX, is owned by Chicago-based Invenergy and is meant to carry renewable electricity generated by wind farms. It would…
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SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — A new law sponsored by State Sen. Jil Tracy (R-Quincy) creates flexibility for working parents by providing more daycare scheduling options for shift employees. Senate Bill 3207 authorizes daycare centers to operate for 24 hours and provide care for children for up to 12 hours if the parent of the child is…
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The winner of the Republican primary for Ralls County Sheriff joins MRN’s J. Robert Gough. He has no Democratic opponent or a write-in as of yet, so it looks like he’ll be the county’s next sheriff. We talk about his law enforcement philosophy and working with other agencies.
Read Full Article Illinois House Speaker Chris Welch has said he thinks he can flip somewhere between four and six Republican-held House districts to Democratic control, upping his super-majority to between 82 and 84 seats, from his current 78. Which Republican districts are flippable? I talked with a high-level source close to Welch’s caucus who pointed to the…
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Prosecutors want a joint trial for former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan and co-defendant Michael McClain to avoid the two men blaming each other for a nearly decade-long racketeering and bribery scheme. McClain, a former state lawmaker and former ComEd lobbyist known for his close association with Madigan, filed a request in July to sever his trial…
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SEDALIA, Mo. — A confrontation between U.S. Senate rivals Thursday on the Missouri State Fairgrounds may be the closest thing to a live debate in the 2024 campaign. U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley, a Republican seeking his second term, arrived at the Governor’s Ham Breakfast looking for Lucas Kunce, the Democrat hoping to unseat him. He…
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Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker has signed off on legislation prohibiting landlords from retaliating against tenants who lodge code violation complaints against them. The Landlord Retaliation Act also bans landlords from terminating leases, increasing rent, decreasing services or threatening lawsuits in instances of such disputes, as well as bars them from refusing to renew a lease…
Read Full Article September 11, 2024
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