Politics
Gov. JB Pritzker spent hours Thursday defending his governing record and Illinois’ immigration policies as he was peppered with questions from members of the U.S. House Oversight Committee. Pritzker and Democratic governors Kathy Hochul of New York and Tim Walz of Minnesota were summoned to Washington, D.C., by committee Chair James Comer, R-Ky., to answer…
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QUINCY — Mark Philpot, chairman of the Human Rights Commission, chastised the Quincy City Council on Monday night for its inaction after members recently received a letter that Philpot said was “contrary to promoting good racial harmony within our fair city.” Philpot spoke for three minutes during the public comment portion of the meeting. He…
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CHICAGO – Sentencing for former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan is scheduled for Friday, after a judge denied Madigan’s motion for a new trial. Judge John Robert “Jack” Blakey made the ruling Monday afternoon at the Everett McKinley Dirksen U.S. Courthouse in Chicago. A jury convicted Madigan Feb. 12 on 10 counts of bribery, conspiracy,…
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QUINCY — Angel Smith grew up during the Cold War, a time when the world held its breath as the United States and the Soviet Union engaged in a passive-aggressive nuclear-armed headwrestle for global political, economic and ideological influence. The fall of the Soviet Union in 1991 marked the end of the war, and the…
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A week out from a hectic end to the legislative session, many Capitol insiders are beginning to ask what is next for the legislative proposals big and small that failed during session. The session’s most-watched subject matter was transit funding. With northern Illinois transit agencies facing hundreds of millions of dollars in budget shortfalls this year, officials wanted…
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HANNIBAL, Mo. — The Hannibal City Council talked trash and other potential amendments to the city’s event application at its meeting Tuesday night after April Azotea, 2nd Ward Council Member, voiced concerns for the lingering impact of high-traffic events on the downtown area. “Main Street is my ward … the reason why I feel like…
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As I write this column, the spring legislative session is a day away from adjournment. Nothing of great importance has cleared both chambers. So, there’s no point in writing about any of that. I’ll let you know my thoughts next week. Let’s discuss a different topic instead. For quite a while now, most folks in…
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Reporter: This budget relied on a few one-time fixes. You’ve tried in the past to fix the structural deficit in 2020. Is that something that you’re going to be looking to spend political capital on going forward? Something a little bit more long-term? So we don’t have to do this every year—the one-time moving stuff…
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State Sen. Jil Tracy (R-Quincy) says the $55.2 billion spending plan passed at the last hour Saturday represents a nearly 40 percent increase since the current administration took office in 2019 and also requires an extra $1 billion in taxes. “Gov. Pritzker has made it abundantly clear that Illinoisans are not his priority. By any…
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HANNIBAL, Mo. — Missouri Lieutenant Governor David Wasinger paid a visit to his hometown of Hannibal on Thursday, making several pit stops throughout the city on his first official visit since becoming the first Hannibal native elected to the position in November. When asked if his perspective on the city has changed now that he…
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SPRINGFIELD – State Sen. Jil Tracy (R-Quincy) says concerns by city officials and complaints by consumers emphasize the need to restore local control in solar and wind energy construction, as well as protect consumers from a few bad actors in the business. “Renewable energy projects are an important part of a comprehensive energy plan; however, it’s…
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The US House’s Energy and Commerce Committee released its recommendations for budget reconciliation early last week. A preliminary review by the Congressional Budget Office projected that, if implemented, at least 8.6 million Americans would lose their Medicaid coverage during the coming decade. That translates to well over 300 thousand Illinoisans. In addition, the CBO projected…
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