Politics
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…
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SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Supreme Court has ruled that a state law restricting where previously convicted child sex offenders can live is constitutional, although it left open the possibility that it was improperly applied to one individual. In a 6-0 decision, the court found the residency restriction “does not infringe upon a child sex offender’s…
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Legislation that would eliminate the tip credit in Illinois is facing opposition from members of the service industry. Under the current system, businesses pay a portion of the tipped employee’s hourly minimum wage, with the rest being made up by tips to equal at least the full state-mandated minimum wage. The base wage for tipped…
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HANNIBAL, Mo. — The Marion County Democrat Central Committee is holding a meeting at 7 p.m. April 16 at the Palmyra, Mo., courthouse to elect state-level delegates to send to the Missouri Democratic Party’s State Convention, where delegates will be elected to be sent to the Democratic Party’s National Convention in August. In a press…
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The implementation of the controversial SAFE-T Act in Illinois continues to put a strain on state coffers. The Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board, which is responsible for training and certifying law enforcement officers, is hoping to receive $23 million in state taxpayer funds to improve curriculum and pay instructors. Officials from ILETSB told…
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SPRINGFIELD – Illinois continues to suffer from a shortage of teachers and other education professionals, although recent efforts by the state to ease the strain have made an impact. That’s according to the latest annual survey of school officials from the Illinois Association of Regional Superintendents of Schools, which has been conducting the survey every year since…
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Legislation that would help parents monitor their children’s social media activity through third-party software is moving through the Illinois General Assembly. House Bill 5380 would create the Let Parents Choose Protection Act, or Sammy’s Law, to require that social media companies provide children’s social media data to third-party apps, which parents could access. Sammy’s Law is…
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SPRINGFIELD – Illinois’ veterans affairs director told a legislative panel this week that while state-run veterans homes have better policies in place following a COVID-19 outbreak that killed 36 residents at the LaSalle Veterans Home in 2020, understaffing remains a challenge. “The need for long-term care will explode over the next 20 years,” Illinois Department…
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SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Senate Republican Caucus Whip Jil Tracy (R-Quincy) and Senate Deputy Minority Leader Sue Rezin (R-Morris) have filed new legislation to provide Illinois families additional financial support. “Families throughout Illinois are finding it difficult to make ends meet as high inflation and other economic pressures impact their bottom line. Republican Senators have long…
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CHICAGO — State regulators are once again considering massive electric utility spending plans that would affect the state’s climate goals – and 5.4 million electric customers’ monthly bills – after rejecting previous versions late last year. The Illinois Commerce Commission forced the state’s two major electric utilities, Commonwealth Edison and Ameren Illinois, back to the…
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Hancock County results are not yet available online.
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QUINCY – Former Quincy mayor Kyle Moore won all five counties that make up the 99th District in the Illinois House of Representatives and easily defeated Eric Snellgrove of Beardstown in Tuesday’s Republican Primary. Moore, who is currently the president of the Great River Economic Development Foundation, won the five county district with 73.5 percent…
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QUINCY – Three incumbent Republican members of the Adams County Board who had contested races in Tuesday’s primary each came away with wins. In County Board District 2, incumbent Mark Sorenson defeated Douglas Kendrick 281-167. In District 3, incumbent Dave Bellis held off a challenge by James Fisher 425-377. In District 7, incumbent Brent Fischer…
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(The Center Square) – Teachers unions have donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to certain Republican candidates’ state legislative primary campaigns, a national trend that can be seen in incumbent state Rep. Adam Niemerg, R-Dieterich, and primary challenger Jim Acklin’s race for the 102nd Illinois House seat. Acklin received $35,000 from the Illinois Federation of…
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SPRINGFIELD – Gov. JB Pritzker’s revenue and budget directors took questions from a legislative panel Thursday on his proposals to generate another $1.1 billion in the upcoming fiscal year through various tax changes. Pritzker’s proposed spending plan anticipates $52.9 billion in revenue, with new funds raised by increasing certain corporate tax rates, lowering personal and…
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SPRINGFIELD – A panel of Illinois lawmakers began hearing testimony Wednesday on Gov. JB Pritzker’s proposals for sweeping changes in the state’s health insurance industry. The changes, which Pritzker first unveiled in his State of the State address in February, would limit the ability of companies to deny claims or steer patients toward cheaper, and possibly less…
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Illinois Republican state legislators continue to push for policy changes to address what they see as a poor business climate. The credit rating assigned to Illinois by Fitch Ratings, A- in November 2023, is far below the ratings given to most of the 50 states. As of early 2024, most states have AA or AAA…
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