Politics
From the $8,000 set aside so the Lone Jack Police Department could buy rifles to $46 million for an allied health building at St. Louis Community College, Gov. Mike Parson’s veto ax fell heavily on earmarked spending as he finished work on the coming year’s Missouri budget. Parson announced his actions late Friday on the $51.8 billion…
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Independence Day is a time to celebrate sacrifices by those who died to secure freedoms we enjoy today. It calls for backyard barbecues and a booming night sky. But not in Illinoisans’ backyards. It is one of three states banning some or all fireworks. The other 47 states, or nearly 94% of country, celebrate freedom with the flair of…
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There were no champagne toasts or fireworks, but when the clock struck 12 a.m. on Saturday, it marked the start of a new year in Illinois – a new fiscal year, that is. And just as a new year is a time to contemplate recent accomplishments and make resolutions for the future, Illinois Comptroller Susana…
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SPRINGFIELD – Gov. JB Pritzker signed legislation Tuesday that will dramatically alter the health insurance market in Illinois. The measures establish a state-based exchange for policies sold under the Affordable Care Act and give the Illinois Department of Insurance the authority to modify or reject proposed rate increases. “Since day one of my administration, I’ve…
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CHICAGO – In a whirlwind visit to Chicago on Wednesday, President Joe Biden trotted out a re-election campaign message built on economic recovery – and effusively praised Gov. JB Pritzker for helping him win the White House in 2020. “There’s a guy that helped me more than – I can say this without equivocation –…
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CHICAGO — A trip from St. Louis to Chicago via Amtrak’s Lincoln Service will be about 15 minutes quicker starting this week due to track upgrades that allow for increased speeds. The Amtrak line ran its first 110 mph service on Monday, up from 90 mph previously, which would make the one-way trip less than…
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HANNIBAL, Mo. – Kristy Trevathan announced Thursday morning she will run for Hannibal Mayor during a gathering at Riverview Park. A special election for Hannibal City Mayor will take place on Nov. 7. Candidates can file petitions on July 11 through Aug. 1. The person elected will finish former Mayor James Hark’s term, which runs…
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SPRINGFIELD – A new state fiscal year will begin July 1, ushering in the reinstatement of a 1 percent tax on groceries and a second increase to the state’s motor fuel tax in 2023. Amid record-high inflation last spring, the General Assembly temporarily waived Illinois’ grocery tax for the coming fiscal year and delayed the…
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QUINCY — About 25 nurses spent a couple of hours before their shifts Tuesday morning walking the picket line outside the 12th Street entrance to the Illinois Veterans Home. Margo Gislain with the Illinois Nurses Association said the nurses were “protesting unsafe working conditions for both the union nurses and the veterans that they care…
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SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Justice Lisa Holder White has announce she is running for a full term on the Supreme Court of Illinois. The Supreme Court appointed Holder White on July 7, 2022, to fill the vacancy created by the retirement of Justice Rita B. Garman. Holder White was sworn in as an Associate Judge for…
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Missouri ranks in the bottom third of all states for children’s health, according to a recent report using data from 2021. The annual Kids Count Data Book from the Annie E. Casey Foundation, released this month, evaluates states on four metrics of child well-being. Those are: health, economic well-being, education and family & community. For overall child…
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SPRINGFIELD – While hundreds of bills cleared the General Assembly in the final month of the legislative session, some big-ticket measures will have to wait until at least the fall. Sponsors of several stalled bills say they will consider reviving their proposals when lawmakers return to the Capitol in October and November for their annual…
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CHICAGO — Millions of Illinoisans could see higher energy bills next year, but the size of those increases will be determined by a state agency that has recently had its oversight powers expanded. Four gas utilities and the state’s two largest electric utilities are currently requesting authority from the Illinois Commerce Commission to increase rates.…
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For decades, there’s been a global movement urging “plain packaging” on tobacco products — or packaging with limited colors and frills — after numerous studies found it makes cigarettes less appealing to young people. Missouri will soon be a testing ground to see if plain packaging has the same impact for recreational marijuana. When voters passed the constitutional…
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CHICAGO – Next time you attend a parade, there might be an eye in the sky. A new law signed by Gov. JB Pritzker on Friday expands local police departments’ authority to use drones to surveil certain events, respond to certain 911 calls, inspect buildings and participate in public relations events. House Bill 3902 passed 56-1…
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Lifelong Missourian Lacey Miller recently announced her intentions to run for Marion County Western District Commissioner. The position covers Marion County’s western district and Hannibal’s 1st ward. A Republican, Miller’s primary election will take place in August 2024. “For the past 20 years, I have dedicated my time to working for not just the farmers…
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Ameren Missouri plans to open four solar farms by 2026 capable of powering a combined 95,000 homes, the company announced Tuesday. Ameren, an investor-owned electric utility serving St. Louis and eastern Missouri, said in a release it would build or purchase the four solar farms, which would have a combined capacity of 550 megawatts. Mark…
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Ameren Missouri’s nearly 1.3 million electric power customers will be paying more in the near future but exactly how much more, and when the rates will take effect, has yet to be determined, the Missouri Public Service Commission said in a news release Thursday. The commission approved a plan for the utility to increase revenues…
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The number of patients seeking abortions from Planned Parenthood of Illinois increased dramatically since last June after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. The amount of patients seeking both medication and procedure abortions rose 54% in the last year, Planned Parenthood reported Monday. Patients needing financial and travel help also more than doubled…
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SPRINGFIELD – Gov. JB Pritzker signed legislation Monday that seeks to protect public and school libraries from pressure to ban, remove or restrict access to books based on “partisan or doctrinal disapproval.” Speaking at the Harold Washington Library Center in downtown Chicago, Pritzker said there were 67 attempts in 2022 to have various books removed…
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SPRINGFIELD – Former Gov. Bruce Rauner’s portrait has joined the “Hall of Governors” in the Illinois Capitol. The Winnetka Republican-turned-Florida resident on Monday unveiled the portrait, which was painted by Chicago Artist Richard Halstead and privately funded by Rauner. The 42nd governor of Illinois who served from 2015 to 2019, Rauner said he returns to the…
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The state has collected more than 73,000 survey responses that reflect details such as who is substitute teaching in Missouri public schools, what they’re paid and where they work. The data, released Wednesday by the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, may not offer a clear reason why some school districts struggle to recruit substitute teachers,…
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Illinois is reinstating the state grocery tax on July 1 after an election-year suspension. Illinois will again become an outlier by taxing food at the supermarket: 37 states don’t tax groceries at all. Among the 10 most populous states, Illinois is the only one with a grocery tax. Among the 13 states that tax groceries, Hawaii, Idaho, Kansas and…
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CHICAGO – Gov. JB Pritzker signed the state’s operating budget for the upcoming fiscal year on Wednesday, marking the first spending plan of his second term as governor. The $50.4 billion spending plan anticipates about $50.6 billion in revenues for the fiscal year that begins July 1, making for a projected surplus of roughly $183…
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JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — A week into Pride month, Gov. Mike Parson signed legislation banning minors from beginning gender-affirming care and limiting sports participation for transgender athletes. In a press release announcing his decision to sign the bills, Parson said he supports every person’s right to “his or her own pursuit of happiness.” However, he continued,…
Read Full Article November 13, 2024
DAILY MUDDY: QUINCY HOBBY CENTER CLOSING AND EFB COFFEE TALK
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