Politics
SPRINGFIELD — Dozens of county sheriffs in Illinois — approximately “80-ish,” per Illinois Sheriffs’ Association head Jim Kaitschuck — say they’ll refuse to enforce a provision of a new assault weapons ban that would require owners of such guns to register them with the state. One of those sheriffs is Tony Grootens from Adams County.…
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SPRINGFIELD – Gov. JB Pritzker signed a bill into law Friday expanding access to abortion and other reproductive health care services. House Bill 4664, passed Tuesday during the General Assembly’s “lame duck” session, came in response to the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in June overturning the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision and declaring that the…
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SPRINGFIELD – A bill that would guarantee a minimum of 40 hours of paid leave per year for all Illinois workers passed both chambers of the General Assembly Tuesday and will soon head to Gov. JB Pritzker, who says he will sign it. Under Senate Bill 208, workers begin to earn paid leave on their first…
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QUINCY — Illinois Governor JB Pritzker joined local, state, and community leaders to celebrate the final structural beam being placed at the Quincy Veterans’ Home. The “Topping Out” ceremony marks a significant milestone in the nearly $300 million renovation and rehabilitation project that will provide a 260,000 square foot residential long-term care facility and 80,000 square foot independent…
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QUINCY — Adams County Sheriff Tony Grootens was one of several sheriffs in Downstate Illinois to announce they will not be fully enforcing the new Protect Illinois Communities Act, which has also been called an assault weapons ban. In a statement issued Wednesday, Grootens said he believes the new law is a “clear violation of…
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QUINCY — Illinois Governor JB Pritzker will attend a ceremony today where the last structural beam will be placed atop the new long-term care facility at the Illinois Veterans Home. The Illinois Department of Veterans’ Affairs and the Capital Development Board are hosting the topping-off ceremony at 10:30 a.m where the last beam will be…
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State workers would get their biggest pay raise in living memory under a plan proposed Wednesday by Missouri Gov. Mike Parson. In a news release, Parson said he wants to boost all state workers by 8.7% and to offer a $2 an hour night shift differential to employees in four agencies responsible for people under…
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At Tuesday night’s Adams County Board meeting, a bid for $700,000 was approved to replace the camera and door access systems installed in the Adams County Jail. Verkada, a San Mateo, California-based company, won the bid over two other companies. The new system will be cloud-based and replace a system less than five years old.…
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SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – On the first full day of his second term, Gov. JB Pritzker on Tuesday signed a bill banning the sale, distribution and manufacture of high-power assault weapons, .50 caliber rifles and ammunition, and large-capacity magazines while still allowing people who already own such weapons to keep them. Pritzker signed the bill during…
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SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – Gov. JB Pritzker was sworn in to his second term Monday with the state’s other constitutional officers, promising a bold and ambitious agenda for the next four years. The ceremony was held at the Bank of Springfield Center, the same venue that for several months served as a makeshift House floor during…
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SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — State Senator Jil Tracy (R-Quincy) said Democrat leaders have “sidestepped full legislative accountability” by forcing through votes on a controversial gun control bill during the General Assembly’s lame-duck session on Jan. 9. The 102nd General Assembly is scheduled to adjourn on Tuesday with the 103rd General Assembly convening the following day, Jan. 11. Tracy…
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QUINCY — The first reading of an ordinance to lease office space in City Hall to Congresswoman Mary Miller enticed one speaker to address the Quincy City Council during Monday’s meeting, but Quincy Mayor Mike Troup said the arrangement would only be temporary. Miller handily won the 15th District Congressional seat over Democrat Paul Lange…
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Congresswoman Mary Miller (R-IL) said the actions taken by Republicans in the House of Representatives “stops reckless spending and holds the Biden Administration accountable to the American people.” “I promised my constituents that I would fight to change the status quo in the DC swamp, and thanks to 20 members who insisted on change, we can…
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Several major measures – including a wide-ranging bill expanding abortion access and gender-affirming health care in Illinois, along with legislation that would ban the sale and manufacture of many high-powered weapons – advanced out of the state House this week. They’ll still need approval in the Senate before they can head to Gov. JB Pritzker, who…
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Larry Ehmen, a retired teacher and businessman who also ran for an elected office because he wanted to abolish that office, died Wednesday in Blessing Hospital. Ehmen was 82. His list of public service, community and political service was lengthy. He was an unapologetic Conservative Republican. During a two-year stint on the Adams County Board,…
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SPRINGFIELD – An appeal to the Illinois Supreme Court regarding the constitutionality of a state law that would end cash bail appears to be at least two months away from resolution under a new timeline approved by the court Thursday. Attorney General Kwame Raoul filed the agreed motion setting the timeline for the high court’s appeal of…
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The Missouri Attorney General’s office will operate in “unyielding pursuit of victory,” Andrew Bailey said Tuesday as he was being sworn into office. Bailey, in a short speech before a crowd of about 150 gathered at the Missouri Supreme Court building, said he’s grateful to Gov. Mike Parson for appointing him. Speaking to reporters afterwards,…
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QUINCY — As Muddy River News first reported on Dec. 30, Quincy Mayor Mike Troup wants an investigation into the process of how Quincy Police Chief Adam Yates became chief. The Police and Fire Commission met Tuesday morning and Troup attended the meeting. The commission went into executive session for about 20 minutes and Troup…
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The Illinois Supreme Court stayed the controversial no-cash bail provisions of the SAFE-T Act Dec. 31, halting the elimination of cash bail statewide while the lower court’s decision is heard on appeal. The order targeting the pretrial provision of the Safety, Accountability, Fairness and Equality-Today Act came just hours before the omnibus bill was set to take…
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With the passing of Amendment 3 in November, parents in Missouri now have a new conversation to navigate: Adult cannabis (marijuana) use. As someone who works in alcohol and drug education, I’ve seen firsthand the impacts of substance use disorder in our communities, particularly on young people. Talking about drugs and alcohol with your kids…
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For any Illinoisan who was gifted a new smartphone, it comes with the nation’s highest taxes for wireless services. Combined federal, state and local tax rates for Illinois cell phones average just shy of 35% of monthly bills, according to Tax Foundation data. That gives Illinois the distinction of topping the nation for wireless taxes. No…
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Gas prices nationwide are going down, but gas taxes in Illinois are going up in the new year. Illinois is scheduled for two gas tax increases in 2023, first Jan. 1 and then July 1. The increase amount isn’t official yet, but Illinois Policy Institute estimates roughly a 3-cent increase per gallon to 42.4 cents starting…
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SPRINGFIELD – A Kankakee County judge ruled Wednesday that lawmakers overreached their constitutional authority in passing a measure to abolish cash bail in Illinois, while other provisions in the wide-ranging SAFE-T Act criminal justice reform were not affected by the ruling. The ruling by Judge Thomas W. Cunnington leaves the impending cash bail reform in limbo…
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SPRINGFIELD – By now, almost everyone in Illinois has heard that Jan. 1 will mark the beginning of a significant change in the state’s criminal justice system – the elimination of cash bail. It’s an issue that dominated the 2022 campaigns and has been both praised and criticized on editorial pages in newspapers across the…
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A Kankakee County judge has ruled that the part of the controversial SAFE-T Act that ends cash bail across is unconstitutional. Judge Thomas W. Cunnington issued the ruling Wednesday night and it comes four days before cash bail was to be abolished across the state. In his ruling, Cunnington wrote “the appropriateness of bail rests…
Read Full Article December 22, 2024
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