Politics
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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Illinois business owners are bracing for a potential tax hit from Gov. J.B. Pritzker. The governor’s proposed budget extends the cap on business net operating losses, but increases the cap to $500,000. His office estimates the “revenue adjustment” will raise $526 million, the bulk of the nearly $900 million of tax increases in his $52.7…
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QUINCY — The 2025 Illinois consolidated primary is 351 days away. We still have the 2024 primary to get through on March 19 and the general election on November 5. But we now know we have at least two Republicans running to be Quincy’s next mayor. The incumbent, Mike Troup, made it official Monday morning…
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By ALEX ABBEDUTO Capitol News Illinois abbeduto@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – Democrats in the Illinois Senate on Wednesday advanced a measure that would prohibit Illinois companies from requiring employees to attend work-related meetings about politics or religion. Senate Bill 3649, which is backed by organized labor, passed the Senate Labor Committee 11-4. Backers have dubbed it the “Worker Freedom…
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QUINCY — Quincy Mayor Mike Troup announced Monday morning that he would run for re-election in 2025. Troup made his announcement at Quincy’s American Legion Hall following a weekly local meeting that includes many active Quincy and Adams County GOP members. “Four years ago, this city was at a crossroads and I saw an opportunity…
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QUINCY — Quincy Mayor Mike Troup is expected to announce whether he will run for a second term Monday morning. While being interviewed by Muddy River News on Thursday about the State of the City speech he is scheduled to deliver to the Quincy Service Club at noon Friday, Troup was told he had one…
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A state commission created in 2021 has issued a new report calculating that public universities in Illinois are underfunded by approximately $1.4 billion. The Commission on Equitable Public University Funding is made up of 34 members, including legislators, representatives from public universities, and members of advocacy organizations. It found that dedicating an added $100 million…
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After Tim Mapes’ August conviction on charges of perjury and attempted obstruction of justice in the federal criminal probe of his longtime boss, former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan, many of his friends still had his back. Mapes was sentenced to 2 ½ years in prison last month, though U.S. District Judge John Kness told…
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Opposition is building in Illinois to using public tax dollars to build sports stadiums. Both the Chicago Bears and Chicago White Sox have recently floated the idea of building new stadiums. The Bears purchased property in Arlington Heights for a possible stadium complex site, and now the White Sox are considering a move to the…
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The Illinois State Board of Elections says former President Donald Trump is staying on the Illinois ballot despite being sued last week in a Cook County court. The U.S. Supreme Court handed a win to the former Republican president Monday by ruling that states cannot kick him off the ballot over the violent protests on…
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Western Illinois University is the subject of a federal civil rights complaint about scholarships. Cornell University law professor William A. Jacobson is the founder of the Equal Protection Project, or EqualProtect.org, which claims that 16 scholarships at Western Illinois are discriminatory. “So these are scholarships which are open only to certain races, certain ethnicities and, in…
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As not only tradition but federal law, soon it will be time for Illinois residents to spring their clocks forward to take advantage of more daylight hours. Daylight saving time officially returns at 2 a.m. Sunday, March 10, an annual ritual that for many is bittersweet. That’s because along with gaining sunlight daily, Illinoisans will…
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SPRINGFIELD – Illinois currently has no federally recognized tribal land within its borders, but that could change in the coming months. A bill pending in the General Assembly this year would give back roughly 1,500 acres of park land in DeKalb County to the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation. That tribe once occupied much of the Great Lakes…
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QUINCY — Former President Donald Trump’s name remains on the Republican ballot for the March 19 primary for now, and votes already cast for him through early ballots and mail-in ballots are unaffected. But stay tuned. Adams County Clerk Ryan Niekamp said Thursday no changes have been made to the primary ballot in the wake…
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SPRINGFIELD – A Cook County judge on Wednesday ordered former President Donald Trump’s name to be removed from the March 19 Republican primary ballot but stayed her order until Friday to give time for an appeal to the Illinois Supreme Court. In a lengthy decision, Judge Tracie Porter said the Illinois State Board of Elections…
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HANNIBAL, Mo. — Republican candidates running in the Aug. 6 Missouri Republican primary for several offices spoke on Saturday morning at the Hannibal Nutrition Center for Lincoln Day. Lincoln Day is a yearly event across many counties in Missouri, and offers an opportunity for voters to meet their state and local candidates in a local…
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Capitol Fax, a weekday newsletter that has covered the ins-and-outs of Illinois State government for more than 30 years, posed the following question in its Monday online edition: Should AG Raoul try to yank this guy’s pension? This guy being Robert Adrian, who on Friday became just the fourth judge since 2005 to be removed from…
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HANNIBAL, Mo. — Missouri Lt. Gov, Mike Kehoe made a visit and toured the facilities at Hannibal Regional Healthcare System on Friday afternoon. Kehoe, who is running for governor in the Aug. 6 Missouri primary, has been focusing on rural healthcare and workforce development in Missouri. He said access to healthcare in rural areas is an…
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SPRINGFIELD – Gov. JB Pritzker on Wednesday proposed growing state spending by about $1.8 billion in the upcoming fiscal year while making a handful of corporate, sports wagering and other tax changes to pay for the increase. Pritzker’s plan, laid out to lawmakers during his annual budget address, does not alter or increase state income…
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Former President Donald Trump endorsed U.S. Rep. Mike Bost on Tuesday, in what could be a decisive factor in the competitive primary to represent southern Illinois in Congress. The Murphysboro Republican, who is serving his fifth term, and his primary opponent, Darren Bailey, R-Xenia, had both sought the former president’s endorsement in their race in…
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The ailing local news industry in Illinois would receive compensation from Big Tech companies and benefit from state tax incentives and a new journalism scholarship program under sweeping legislation introduced in the General Assembly this month. “It is the most ambitious package of local journalism policy that I’ve seen,” Anna Brugmann, policy director for the…
Read Full Article February 22, 2025
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