Illinois Politics
QUINCY — Adams County Board Chairman Bret Austin has made committee assignments and named chairmen of each of the board’s four main committees. Taking Austin’s place as Finance Committee chair will be Travis Cooley (R-District 4). Cooley, who is a senior Vice President of Liberty Bank, previously served as the committee’s second chair behind Austin.…
Read Full Article 
QUINCY – The Republican leaders of the counties that make up the Illinois 99th House District selected State Representative-elect Kyle Moore to take his seat early upon the retirement of Randy Frese. Moore said he’s ready to hit the ground running next week as the Illinois General Assembly meets in its “lame duck” session next…
Read Full Article 
SPRINGFIELD – Illinois lawmakers could soon make it easier for children in foster care to live with their relatives or other people close to them. Child welfare experts have long touted the benefits of foster children staying with kin. Advocates say those arrangements offer children more stability, decrease the trauma they experience, improve their mental…
Read Full Article 
SPRINGFIELD — Illinois lawmakers in early January could consider easing requirements for residents to change their names, a move proponents say will reduce risks for victims of domestic abuse, transgender residents and others. The measure must clear the full Senate in the first week of January to reach Gov. JB Pritzker’s desk, otherwise it must…
Read Full Article 
SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Department of Transportation has outlined its progress made across the state in 2024. Made possible by Gov. JB Pritzker’s Rebuild Illinois capital program, projects transformed highways, transit, railroads, airports, waterways and active transportation everywhere Illinois residents call home, creating safer and more reliable travel options while boosting economic opportunity for generations to…
Read Full Article 
The 99th Representative District Committee announced a vacancy in the Illinois House of Representatives due to the resignation of Randy Frese. The Committee’s appointment will serve the remainder of Frese’s term in the 103rd General Assembly. In accordance with state statute, vacancies created in the General Assembly must be filled within 30 days. Former Quincy Mayor and current…
Read Full Article 
The minimum wage in Illinois will increase to $15 an hour on Jan. 1, completing a six-year transition period since the increase was approved in 2019. Beginning New Year’s Day, Illinois workers making minimum wage will see wages rise by $1 and tipped workers will see their paychecks bump to $9 an hour. Youth workers…
Read Full Article 
Time to study up, Illinois. When the clock hits midnight on New Year’s Day, 293 new state laws will take effect. Those include some of the defining bills of the 2024 legislative session and others that will change how people get IDs, evaluate job postings and even cancel gym memberships. In addition to the laws…
Read Full Article 
We’re less than nine months from when candidates can begin circulating petitions for the 2026 election, so we’re rapidly approaching the time when major figures will need to decide whether to run or not. Because of that, a lot of people are polling. The state’s two big dogs, US Sen. Dick Durbin and Gov. JB…
Read Full Article 
When Bill Veeck owned baseball teams and sat in the bleachers or Harry Caray broadcast baseball games from the cheap seats, it was funny. But when Alderman Mike Farha (R-4th Ward) sat in the audience during Monday’s Quincy City Council meeting, it was not funny. When roll was called, he said he was just going…
Read Full Article The Democratic legislative leaders and the governor agreed to squirrel away $260 million in lump-sum appropriations to various state agencies last spring. But now some groups are figuring out that a big pile of state money is just sitting there and they are trying to stake their claims. This came to light last month when…
Read Full Article 
SPRINGFIELD – More than five years after Illinois began issuing permits for legal production of industrial hemp, Gov. JB Pritzker said Friday he now favors legislation to bring the industry under tighter regulation. At a news conference in Chicago, Pritzker said in the short time since both the state and federal governments legalized hemp production,…
Read Full Article 
CHICAGO – A federal judge on Thursday declined to acquit former AT&T Illinois president Paul La Schiazza after his September trial on charges that he bribed ex-Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan ended in a hung jury. U.S. District Judge Robert Gettleman was forced to declare a mistrial after jurors failed to reach a verdict in…
Read Full Article 
CHICAGO – After nearly a dozen years working for Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan, Tom Cullen went out on his own in 1999, building up a lengthy roster of diverse – and often high-paying – clients that kept him busy. Even so, Cullen continued to volunteer with the Democratic Party of Illinois, overseeing campaigns and…
Read Full Article 
State lawmakers will face a projected budget deficit and slowing revenue when they return to Springfield in January, but a new report shows fiscal decisions made in recent years have put Illinois in a better position to handle a recession than any time in recent decades. No state is immune from the negative effects of…
Read Full Article 
After a closely watched presidential election, Illinoisans will have another chance to cast a vote in a few weeks – this time, for a new state flag. The Illinois Flag Commission this week released 10 potential new designs for the state flag after lawmakers moved in 2023 to explore replacing the current banner. The commission…
Read Full Article 
CHICAGO – It was the last day of the General Assembly’s spring legislative session in 2018 when veteran Statehouse lobbyist Mike McClain realized his bill wasn’t going anywhere. McClain was officially retired but still took on “assignments” from his longtime friend Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan. But one particular project he took on proved especially…
Read Full Article March 30, 2025
ADVERTISEMENT: LINDA MOORE FOR MAYOR
Obituaries
Current Weather
MON
TUE
WED
THU
FRI
