Illinois Politics
SPRINGFIELD — Lawmakers will head back to the Capitol on Aug. 31 to consider changes to the legislative maps that Gov. JB Pritzker signed into law earlier this year. Those maps, which set the new boundaries for the 118 state House and 59 state Senate districts for the next decade, were passed based on survey…
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A doctor and member of the Mahomet-Seymour Board of Education says state regulators are threatening his medical license over his criticism of Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s school mask mandate. Dr. Jeremy Henrichs works at Carle Orthopedics and Sports Medicine in Champaign, which is division of Carle Hospital in Urbana. He is a sports team physician at the…
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Statewide payroll jobs up significantly for second consecutive month; unemployment rate down in July
SPRINGFIELD — The Illinois Department of Employment Security announced Thursday that the unemployment rate fell 0.1 percentage point to 7.1 percent, while nonfarm payrolls increased 35,400 in July, based on preliminary data provided by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and released by IDES. The June monthly change in payrolls was revised from the preliminary report,…
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SPRINGFIELD — A capacity crowd packed into the Illinois State Board of Education room on Wednesday as many more stood outside the building to protest the state’s new indoor mask mandate in all public and nonpublic schools. “I’m so tired of hearing how resilient our kids are. Resilience is something you choose,” said Ruby Johnson,…
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SPRINGFIELD — Gov. JB Pritzker didn’t directly say Monday whether he would extend the state’s eviction moratorium for those facing hardships due to the COVID-19 pandemic as cases, deaths and hospitalizations for the virus continue to rise. “We’ve looked at that. We continue to look at it. We’ll make a decision about that soon,” Pritzker…
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Four members of former House Speaker Michael Madigan’s inner circle could face trial late in 2022 for their alleged roles in the ComEd bribery scandal. What’s still not clear is whether new allegations might surface in the case by then. U.S. District Judge Harry Leinenweber on Tuesday scheduled a Sept. 12, 2022, trial for Madigan…
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State Senator Jil Tracy (R-Quincy) said she believes Governor JB Pritzker’s executive order and administrative rules give them “the upper hand” in being able to mandate masks in Illinois schools. Tracy gave an update on Facebook over the weekend and said she was appealing to the governor to “help them recognize the importance of allowing…
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As the Illinois tourism industry struggles to get back on its feet, some are stressing that people need to feel safe in their venues in order to rebound. The House Tourism Committee recently held a subject matter hearing on ways the industry can rebound from the pandemic. The hotel industry may have been hit the…
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SPRINGFIELD — Seventeen crashes involving Illinois state troopers or their vehicles have occurred in 2021 as a result of violations to the state’s traffic law known as “Scott’s Law.” Gov. JB Pritzker signed a new law Thursday, Senate Bill 1913, allowing judges to issue community service among other penalties to those violating the law, which requires…
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S&P Global Ratings upgraded Illinois’s bond rating for the first time in 25 years, but the slight bump came with harsh criticism of how Illinois handles its public pension funds. S&P agents argued the public pension systems are in danger because the pensions have massive obligations, the politicians won’t fix them and thousands of taxpaying Illinoisans are moving out.…
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SPRINGFIELD – The state announced a $250 million “Back to Business” grant program aimed at assisting small businesses in the recovery from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and associated economic shutdowns. The program is funded by the federal American Rescue Plan Act signed by President Joe Biden, and it includes specific set-aside amounts for certain uses.…
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By PETER HANCOCKCapitol News Illinois SPRINGFIELD – A new law in Illinois will make it easier for part-time school and college employees to receive paid family and medical leave. Gov. JB Pritzker signed a bill Tuesday lowering the threshold for those workers so that most will be eligible for the benefit after one year of…
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Illinois State Police are notifying about 2,000 Illinoisans with Firearm Owners Identification cards that their personal information may have been compromised in a hack of the agency’s Police FOID card portal. The backlog-plagued system was hit with a cyberattack, ISP confirmed Thursday. “Out of necessity, some of the online account parameters put in place for…
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SPRINGFIELD – After a one-year interruption last year due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Illinois State Fair in Springfield is set to reopen Thursday with new attractions and new safety requirements. Among the new requirements, Illinois Department of Agriculture Director Jerry Costello II said during a media briefing Friday, will be a mask mandate at…
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Illinois was No. 10 just a few years ago, but diligent efforts by politicians mean Illinois is now No. 2 for the taxes paid on a gallon of gas. The American Petroleum Institute just broke down the taxes on gas in each state and found Illinois charges 77.96 cents per gallon with both federal and state taxes and fees…
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Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White said starting Sept. 1, Secretary of State employees who have not been vaccinated against COVID-19 will be required to submit to repeated COVID-19 testing. “As the pandemic continues to surge nationally, we must do all we can to maintain the safety of our customers and employees and this is…
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CHICAGO — Gov. JB Pritzker announced Tuesday that masks will be required for students, teachers and staff at pre-K through 12th grade schools and day cares across Illinois, regardless of vaccination status. The new requirement formalizes the CDC guidance released in July on universal masking for both unvaccinated and vaccinated people in schools. The mask…
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The Illinois Department of Public Health announced it was adopting new, stricter masking guidelines issued by the federal government, which call for universal masking at schools even for vaccinated students and staff. IDPH was also asking for indoor masking of the general public in areas of substantial or high COVID-19 transmission. By their definition, that is almost…
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CHICAGO — Former governor and convicted felon Rod Blagojevich on Monday told WLS that Illinois’ General Assembly violated his civil rights in removing him from office and then prohibiting him from any future run for elective office in the state. Blagojevich was impeached and convicted in 2009 and now plans to ask that a federal…
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By GREG BISHOPThe Center Square Illinois Senate Republicans are calling for a performance audit of the state’s unemployment agency after a scathing financial audit showed what they say is the tip of the iceberg of fraud. The most recent Auditor General financial audit for the Illinois Department of Employment Security for fiscal year 2020 only…
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QUINCY — Quincy Superintendent of Schools Roy Webb wrote in a social media post on Friday morning that his “guidance” to the Quincy School Board regarding how the Quincy School District will deal with its COVID-19 response is being reviewed with the start of school looming next month. “I know many of you have seen…
Read Full Article SPRINGFIELD – State Sen. Jil Tracy (R-Quincy) is calling for a full audit of the Pritzker Administration’s mismanagement of Illinois unemployment benefits system, based on a report released July 28 by the Illinois Auditor General. The Auditor General’s preliminary financial audit of the Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES), and its failures with the Pandemic…
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By JERRY NOWICKICapitol News Illinois SPRINGFIELD – The state will have new COVID-19 guidance on face coverings after the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated its guidance Tuesday to reflect that even individuals vaccinated against COVID-19 should wear masks while indoors in areas of the country where the virus is surging. CDC officials…
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By ANDREW HENSELThe Center Square Gov. J.B. Pritzker held a Tuesday news conference at The Center on Halstead to sign four bills into law to help LGBTQ+ communities. The governor sat in a packed conference room in Chicago filled with lawmakers and members of the LGBTQ+ community. Pritzker discussed the new laws he was there…
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Virtual hearing set for week after U.S. Census data is officially released By JERRY NOWICKICapitol News Illinoisjnowicki@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – Lawyers for Illinois’ Democratic legislative leaders last week filed a motion to dismiss a lawsuit from Republicans and a Mexican American advocacy group regarding newly drawn legislative maps, calling the challenge “purely speculative” until full U.S.…
Read Full Article July 01, 2025
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