Illinois Politics
Rural fire departments in Illinois are battling more than house fires. They’re also fighting a shortage of volunteers. In an effort to bolster the ranks, legislation is being proposed at the Illinois statehouse that would provide a $500 tax credit for would-be volunteers. During a news conference Wednesday, Margaret Vaughn, director of government affairs with…
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Illinois now levies the nation’s highest state and local tax rates on residents, costing each household $9,488 – or more than 15% of their annual income – in 2022, a new WalletHub report found. That tax load is nearly 39% more annually than the nation’s average. The study also found Illinois state and local governments levy the…
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Illinois saw the largest departure of state residents in the nation during 2021, with 68% of Illinoisans who moved saying goodbye and heading for more affordable locales, a new study found. The annual migration report from Allied Van Lines and Zillow found this trend was reflected in the state’s largest city, Chicago, which reported the most outbound…
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It’s been two weeks since prosecutors indicted former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan and a little more than one week since he and alleged co-conspirator Michael McClain each entered not guilty pleas on charges including racketeering and bribery. While the 106-page, 22-count indictment was the culmination of years of investigation into what prosecutors allege to…
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SPRINGFIELD – Seven teams of Republicans and one team of Democrats have lined up to challenge Gov. JB Pritzker and Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton in the 2022 elections. Monday was the deadline for candidates to turn in their nominating petitions to the Illinois State Board of Elections to get their names on the June 28…
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QUINCY — UPDATED Adams County Sheriff Rich Wagner will retire from his position in December. Wagner, who did not file a petition to run for the office he was appointed to, issued a statement Tuesday morning. Filing for elected offices for the June 28 primary closed at 5 p.m. Monday. Wagner’s statement: “I would like…
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March 12 marks the two-year anniversary of Gov. JB Pritzker’s first executive order citing emergency powers in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Pritzker has since issued 112 orders and declared a statewide disaster 27 times to extend those powers. Pritzker has been allowed to enact various policies without any input from the legislature. Those policies have included limiting…
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The two-term mayor of Aurora, Illinois is one of many seeking the Republican nomination for governor of Illinois in June and hoping to unseat Governor JB Pritzker in November. Muddy River News This Week is furnished by Harvey’s.
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QUINCY — Add two more candidates to the list of people interested in seats on the Adams County Board. David Hoskins (R-District 7) filed for re-election on Thursday. Republican Jim Fisher also filed to run in District 3. Fisher joins Rodney Hermsmeier as challengers to three Republican incumbents — Marvin Kerkhoff, Dave Bellis and Raquel…
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SPRINGFIELD – Former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan and former lobbyist Michael McClain on Wednesday pleaded not guilty in federal court to charges of racketeering, bribery, fraud and extortion. Both were arraigned on those charges during a teleconference hearing before U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Cole, a hearing that was prolonged several minutes because McClain had…
Read Full Article CHICAGO — One week after he was charged in a 22-count federal indictment that included racketeering, for Illinois House Speaker Michael J. Madigan is scheduled to be arraigned in a hearing to be conducted by phone at 1:30 p.m. today at the Everett M. Dirksen U.S. Federal Courthouse in Chicago’s Loop. Madigan, 79, faces allegations…
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QUINCY — Adams County Board member Steve DeMoss (D-District 1) filed to run for re-election on Tuesday. Two others also filed to run for the 21-seat board on Tuesday: Republican Keith Callaway, also in District 1, and Republican Tim Finlay in District 5. Both are first time candidates for County Board seats. District 1 suddenly…
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QUINCY — Adams County Clerk and Recorder Ryan Niekamp may not have to worry about a primary challenge in June, but a Democrat filed to run against him in November. Arianna Downard-Salih filed to run against Niekamp Monday morning, shortly after Niekamp officially filed to run for re-election. Adams County Treasurer Bryden Cory also filed…
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QUINCY — From precinct committeemen to governor, candidates for elected office in 2022 made their way to courthouses and elections offices across Illinois on Monday. It is filing day for those who seek to be on the June 28 primary ballot. For those seeking state and federal offices, they stood in line outside the Illinois…
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Parents of kids under 14 are one step closer to legally deciding when it’s safe to leave their children home alone. The Illinois House unanimously passed a bill amending the child abandonment statute. House Bill 4305 instead lets parents determine maturity based on the individual child, not a minimum age. Illinois’ minimum age of 14 is the highest age in the…
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SPRINGFIELD — In a 106-page, 22-count indictment, federal prosecutors painted a picture of former House Speaker Michael Madigan as the leader, along with a longtime confidante, of a sweeping criminal enterprise that influenced legislation for personal power and financial gain. “The Madigan Enterprise,” as prosecutors called it in the document filed Wednesday, benefitted from Madigan’s…
Read Full Article Statement from Michael Madigan, former Illinois Speaker of the House, regarding Wednesday’s federal indictment on 22 counts of racketeering conspiracy and running a criminal enterprise: Statement from Madigan’s attorneys, Sheldon Zenner and Gil Soffer, on the indictment: Statement from Patrick Cotter, attorney for Quincy attorney and lobbyist Michael McClain, Madigan’s confidant, co-defendant and alleged co-conspirator:
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Indictment: Used position as speaker, Democratic Party chair for personal gain UPDATED SPRINGFIELD – Longtime Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan has been indicted by a federal grand jury on 22 counts for allegedly using his position as the top House Democrat to solicit “personal financial rewards” for himself and others, according to the U.S. Attorney’s…
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QUINCY — Two Illinois gubernatorial candidates, a congresswoman and an assortment of other politicians made their way to Quincy’s industrial section of the Riverfront Tuesday evening. The Quincy Tea Party has been holding its meetings in the lower level of Tower Pizza and Mexican, but with a larger than usual crowd expected to gather, the…
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SPRINGFIELD – Illinois Department of Public Health Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike will resign on March 14 after three years leading the agency and two years navigating a deadly pandemic that has claimed the lives of more than 32,000 Illinoisans. Ezike, who was appointed IDPH director in 2019, became a widely recognized public figure in the…
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SPRINGFIELD – Gov. JB Pritzker’s plan for pausing a scheduled automatic increase in the state’s motor fuel tax is facing opposition from several quarters, including engineering companies that design road and bridge projects. On Thursday, officials from the American Council of Engineering Companies of Illinois said pausing the scheduled increase could have long-term consequences that…
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QUINCY — After weeks of speculation and scuttlebutt, Quincy Mayor Mike Troup pulled the trigger at Monday night’s Quincy City Council meeting and nominated former Adams County Board Chairman Mike McLaughlin as the city’s newest police and fire commissioner. The City Council then approved the nomination by a 7-5-1 vote, with Troup casting the eighth…
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SPRINGFIELD – Illinois Senate Democrats outlined legislation during a Thursday news conference that aims to address the ongoing teacher shortage throughout the state. The bills would extend the number of days retired and substitute teachers would be able to teach in a school year, waive substitute teaching licensing fees, and lower the minimum age for…
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Although the mask sightings have been fewer and fewer in our area as the weeks have passed, as of 12:01 a.m. Monday, masks are no longer “mandated” to be worn indoors in many locations in Illinois. Some areas will still see a restriction including long-term care facilities, day cares and health care facilities. Federal regulations…
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PETERSBURG, IL – Republican candidate for governor Jesse Sullivan announced Adams County State’s Attorney Gary Farha as a member of his Safe Streets Leadership Council, a bipartisan group of more than 20 Illinois leaders who support Sullivan’s plan law enforcement initiative. “I’ve experienced firsthand the denigration and destruction of law and order as a result of…
Read Full Article January 15, 2025
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