Politics
A proposal to allow a new casino near the Lake of the Ozarks on Sunday was the final initiative petition submitted for a possible slot on Missouri’s ballot later this year. The Osage River Gaming & Convention committee said in a news release that it turned in over 320,000 signatures in an effort to meet the requirement…
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SPRINGFIELD – With about three weeks to go before the Illinois General Assembly is scheduled to adjourn its spring legislative session, supermajority Democrats showed their strength as fiscal forecasters noted state revenues remain on track. April is typically a make-or-break month for state coffers, as income tax filings can often yield higher- or lower-than-expected returns,…
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JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Wednesday’s Midwest March for Life at the Missouri Capitol had a different tone this year. It was about fighting. Nearly two years ago, the crowd celebrated Missouri becoming the first state to ban abortion after Roe V. Wade was overturned. But on Wednesday, a new worry loomed over the annual event: Abortion…
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JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — None of the demands Missouri Freedom Caucus members said must be met before they would drop a filibuster against legislation renewing taxes that fund Medicaid were achieved when the group decided to end its resistance a little before 3:30 a.m. Thursday. After a 41-hour-filibuster, the Senate gave initial approval Thursday morning to a…
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SPRINGFIELD – Supermajority Democrats in the Illinois House moved quickly Wednesday to push through a change to state election laws that partially limits ballot access and adds three nonbinding referendums to the 2024 general election ballot. It’s a move that caused minority party Republicans to vote “present,” then walk off the House floor without even…
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CHICAGO – A year and a half after Republican Darren Bailey lost his campaign to challenge Gov. JB Pritzker, state election officials are weighing whether he illegally colluded with conservative radio show host and political operative Dan Proft in the 2022 campaign. The State Board of Elections on Monday convened a hearing on the matter,…
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House Bill 4611, another measure that is of priority of the Illinois Secretary of State, has stalled. The measure limiting factors that auto insurers can use to set rates didn’t advance before last week’s deadline. Secretary Alexi Giannoulias responded to concerns that the measure he’s supporting will raise auto insurance rates on senior drivers. “When…
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The Missouri Senate’s budget plan approved in a committee Wednesday has more money for workers who help people with developmental disabilities, more to help low-income families afford child care and more for counties to defray the cost of holding people convicted of felonies. There are also big new road projects and a boost to higher education funding. The committee…
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SPRINGFIELD – Immigrant rights advocates on Friday continued to push for one of their top budget priorities: full funding for state-run health care programs that benefit noncitizens, regardless of their immigration status. Those programs offer health coverage for low-income individuals who would otherwise qualify for Medicaid if not for their immigration status. They have been…
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The Chicago Bears laid out a $3.2 billion plan for a new domed stadium on Chicago’s lakefront on Wednesday afternoon, painting pictures of future Super Bowls and other major public events while pinning their hopes on yet-to-be-had conversations with the governor and lawmakers. The Bears – accompanied by Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson at a Wednesday…
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With a month-and-a-half left in the General Assembly’s spring session, Gov. JB Pritzker’s administration is readying its proposal to address Illinois’ chronically underfunded pension system. But the governor this week also acknowledged in the strongest terms yet that any plans to finally get the state on track toward fully funding retirement plans for public school…
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A measure advancing in Illinois seeks to ban corporal punishment in all private schools. Opponents are concerned the measure could be misinterpreted and school coaches asking for more pushups could be in violation of the proposed law. House Bill 4175 passed last week out of the House and was sent to the Senate. The bill seeks…
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Voter turnout in last month’s presidential primary election was the lowest in 52 years. Some argue changing to ranked choice voting could increase participation. Others worry it will confuse voters. The Illinois State Board of Elections released their official canvas of the 2024 presidential primary and found 19% voter turnout. That’s the lowest voter turnout since 1972. …
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Health insurance procedures will look different in Illinois if legislation advancing through Springfield becomes law, but some are concerned about the cost to taxpayers. In the latest push for health insurance reform, Gov. J.B. Pritzker is taking aim at what he calls “predatory health insurance practices” with his Healthcare Protection Act. Among other things, the…
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Illinois education leaders seek added state funding to help districts accommodate influx of migrants
SPRINGFIELD – The recent surge of international migrants arriving in Illinois has brought with it a host of new challenges for state and local officials. Those range from filling their most basic needs like emergency food, clothing and shelter, to more complex issues like lining them up with basic health care, financial assistance and other…
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State Rep. Jeff Keicher and AARP are looking to approve House Bill 4431, which would impact driving tests for those 75 or older. Illinois is the only state in the nation that requires drivers 75 and older to retake a driving test as a condition of renewing their driver’s license. Keicher’s legislation would end this practice.…
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The SAFE-T Act is again making headlines in Illinois with the pretrial release of an individual accused of being under the influence and crashing his vehicle into a sheriff’s deputy’s vehicle, killing her. State Rep. Dennis Tipsword, R-Metamora, who also serves as the Woodford county chief deputy sheriff, said what Nathan Sweeney, 44, who was…
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Lead pipes in public water systems and drinking fixtures have been banned in new construction since 1986, when Congress amended the Safe Drinking Water Act, but they are still in use across the U.S. and in Illinois. The presence of lead pipes has persisted due in part to a lack of a centralized federal or…
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In September 2021, a 4-year-old girl’s babysitter caught her touching another child inappropriately. “I asked her why she was doing that,” the babysitter texted the girl’s mother, “and she told me because someone does it to her.” Who does it? the babysitter asked the girl. “Omfg,” the babysitter responded to the mother. “You’re not going…
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Missouri House members on Wednesday took a step toward prohibiting exports of water, arguing the state’s “most precious resource” should be protected and reserved for residents. The bill, which prohibits water exports without a state permit, cleared an initial Missouri House vote 115-25. It needs second approval before it moves to the Missouri Senate, where a…
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CHICAGO – Natural gas is fueling a fight between consumer advocates, a powerful utility company and the state. Amid competing advertising campaigns, accusations of mismanagement and state decarbonization efforts, the Illinois Commerce Commission is starting a process that will shape how the state regulates the increasingly controversial industry. While Chicago considers passing an ordinance to…
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SPRINGFIELD – An Illinois House committee advanced a measure that would end the state’s subminimum wage for tipped workers amid bipartisan opposition, but the bill’s sponsor said she’d seek further compromise before presenting it for a vote. Current Illinois law allows employers to pay their tipped workers 60 percent of the state’s minimum wage. That…
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SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — The Illinois State Board of Elections has asked the publisher of numerous Illinois websites to remove from its sites personal data of thousands of voters the board believes may have been published in violation of the Illinois Election Code. Since late March, the State Board of Elections (SBE) has received calls from…
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Missouri has plenty of money left in reserve as the state Senate prepares to work on the almost $51 billion budget passed Thursday in the House, but one looming issue could disrupt final passage and put the surplus in danger of disappearing. Lawmakers must renew a set of medical provider taxes, known as the federal reimbursement…
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The Royals and the Chiefs had everything. Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce — fresh off of a Super Bowl victory — endorsed a “yes” vote in ads airing on TV and on YouTube. Endorsements rolled in from the city’s top political players: Mayor Quinton Lucas (belatedly), U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver and nearly every union in…
Read Full Article November 14, 2024
FRANKIE SAY: ASHLEY BURNETT
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