Politics
Attorneys on both sides of the federal corruption case against former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan didn’t agree on much this past month, but they are aligned on one thing: they’re prepared to go to trial on Oct. 8 in Chicago. The agreement to keep the already-delayed trial date in place kicked off a month…
Read Full Article ROSEMONT – Gov. JB Pritzker on Wednesday signed legislation aimed at curtailing the practice of “captive audience” meetings – a strategy businesses sometimes use to dissuade workers from forming a union. The law, dubbed the “Worker Freedom of Speech Act,” was a top priority this spring for organized labor groups in Illinois, which played host…
Read Full Article A Facebook post last week by state Sen. Willie Preston (D-Chicago) created a stir, caused one of his fellow Democratic Senators to bow out of a planned joint fundraiser and, ultimately, the entire fundraiser was canceled. It’s all a good illustration of the ill-informed, rapid-fire insanity of our social media-fueled era. Sen. Preston posted an…
Read Full Article In the winter, Senate Majority Leader Cindy O’Laughlin said she would vote to expel state Sen. Bill Eigel. This summer, a political action committee connected to O’Laughlin is working to stop him from becoming governor. On July 5, the NEMO Leadership PAC — which was created to support O’Laughlin — contributed $100,000 to the Great Northwest PAC…
Read Full Article With less than a week before Tuesday’s primaries, statewide elected officials are doing what they can to use their jobs to grab last-minute headlines. On Thursday in Jefferson City, Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft went first, holding a news conference to announce he is suing President Joe Biden and 15 federal department heads over a 2021…
Read Full Article CHICAGO – Calls of “Justice for Sonya” rang through the sanctuary of a church on Chicago’s West Side on Tuesday at a rally hosted in response to the death of Sonya Massey on July 6. Massey, a Black woman, was killed in her home by Sangamon County Sheriff’s deputy Sean Grayson. Grayson, who is white,…
Read Full Article COLUMBIA, Mo. — The University of Missouri will eliminate its division focused on diversity, social equity and inclusion on the Columbia campus, completing the dismantling of administrative structures put in place after protests in 2015 brought national attention to issues of racial equality. The move coincides with the departure of division Vice Chancellor Maurice Gipson. It is designed to…
Read Full Article CHICAGO — Gov. JB Pritzker signed a law Monday that expands insurance coverage during and after pregnancy with the goal of lowering infant and maternal mortality rates, especially for Black Illinoisans. The law requires insurers that provide state-regulated health care plans to cover pregnancy and postpartum services for covered individuals, including midwife services, doula visits, and lactation…
Read Full Article A February poll of Republican primary voters showed Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft had the most recognizable name in the race for governor. That shouldn’t be surprising. Ashcroft has held statewide office for eight years, and his father John ran statewide seven times, winning five elections for state attorney general, governor and U.S. senator before becoming…
Read Full Article Former President Donald Trump’s coveted endorsement in the Missouri GOP gubernatorial primary finally arrived Saturday night, with Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft, Lt. Gov. Mike Kehoe and state Sen. Bill Eigel forced to share the honor. All three quickly crowed to supporters about Trump’s endorsement, never mentioning the fact that it was split three ways.…
Read Full Article CUBA, Mo. — Mike Kehoe wanted to make one thing perfectly clear to the several dozen supporters of his campaign for governor who gathered earlier this month at Cowtown USA. “I don’t scream and holler about politics,” said Kehoe, Missouri’s lieutenant governor. “I’m running against people who are of the ‘burn it down’ variety. I’m just…
Read Full Article “I support Karina’s Law,” Gov. JB Pritzker emphatically told me. It’s the strongest statement he’s made about the bill which stalled in the Senate last spring. The proposal would mandate that police remove firearms from a person who has been served with a domestic violence order of protection. But there still appear to be some Pritzker…
Read Full Article For most of his second term in the Missouri Senate, Bill Eigel has been a disruptor. First with a homegrown Republican faction called the Conservative Caucus, and then with a state chapter of the national Freedom Caucus, Eigel led a small group willing to torpedo legislation to make their points heard. It hasn’t won him many friends…
Read Full Article SPRINGFIELD — The U.S. Department of Justice confirmed late Tuesday that it is “assessing the circumstances” surrounding the fatal shooting of an unarmed Black woman by a Sangamon County Sheriff’s deputy. Benjamin Crump, renowned civil rights attorney who represents the family of the woman, said at a news conference on Tuesday that the DOJ had…
Read Full Article An Illinois lawmaker heading a child welfare committee said the state must strengthen its laws and policies to protect homeschooled children facing inadequate education, abuse and neglect. Rep. Terra Costa Howard, the chair of the Adoption and Child Welfare Committee in the Illinois House, called for action following a Capitol News Illinois and ProPublica investigation,…
Read Full Article WARNING: VIDEO CONTAINS VIOLENT ACTIONS AND GRAPHIC LANGUAGE AT THE 14 MINUTE MARK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HFun2GydGyU SPRINGFIELD — Sangamon County officials have released a video of a county sheriff’s deputy fatally shooting a woman earlier this month. Sonya Massey called police to investigate a prowler at her home in the 2800 block of Hoover Avenue near Springfield…
Read Full Article The leaders of the Illinois Democratic Party have announced they are supporting Vice President Kamala Harris to be their party’s nominee for president following Sunday’s decision by President Joe Biden to drop out of the race. Gov. JB Pritzker made his announcement on X (Twitter) Monday morning: Dick Durbin, the second highest ranking Democrat in…
Read Full Article An oft-repeated $1.1 billion demand from Chicago’s mayor would actually wind up costing state taxpayers $5.5 billion. And Gov. JB Pritzker is turning a big thumbs down. Chicago Public Schools made the huge mistake of putting a ton of temporary federal pandemic aid into its permanent spending base for years and that money is just…
Read Full Article If you drop into an elementary reading lesson, you might see kids learning about the long U sound, building their vocabulary or practicing how to read aloud without sounding like robots. And if you visit Kansas City Public Schools this fall, you should see all students in the same grade learning the same thing. After all, a…
Read Full Article In his campaign for governor, Lt. Gov. Mike Kehoe has promised Republican voters he will stop China “from buying up our farmland.” He’s doing so while traveling the state in a bus owned by Jewell Patek, a former legislator who is the only Missouri lobbyist employed by the Chinese business that owns a significant chunk of agricultural…
Read Full Article MILWAUKEE – Illinois Republicans marked a changing of the guard Thursday morning as delegates met for breakfast ahead of the final day of the GOP national convention. State party Chair Don Tracy officially steps down this week after nearly 3 ½ years in that post, handing over the reins to newly elected Chair Kathy Salvi.…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Nominating petitions for seats on the John Wood Community College Board of Trustees will be available at the Quincy campus, 1301 S. 48th, beginning Tuesday, Aug. 6. Petitions may be circulated starting Tuesday, Aug. 20. The filing period is Nov. 12-18. Petitions and all other related filing materials may be obtained in the…
Read Full Article Warning: The following article includes mentions of self-harm and profanity. McHENRY, Ill. – Vernon L. Brooks Jr. was distraught. Forced into a chair in a jail cell with a black mesh hood over his head, he panicked as he felt officers tighten straps like tourniquets around his wrists and restrain his ankles and chest. When…
Read Full Article MILWAUKEE – A former Republican congressman from New York told Illinois Republicans Tuesday that to win more elections in their deeply blue state, they need to reach beyond the traditional conservative voting base. “We need to challenge ourselves to get out and talk to the people who vote the least, talk to the people who…
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