Politics
CHICAGO — A federal jury has found former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan guilty on 10 counts of bribery conspiracy, bribery and wire fraud. However, the jury found him not guilty of seven counts and was deadlocked and could not reach a verdict regarding six other counts against Madigan and his long-time ally, Michael McClain…
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QUINCY — Adams County Board Chairman Bret Austin’s attempt to fill a vacancy on the board hit a snag Tuesday night. Theresa Bockhold resigned from her District 7 seat at the board’s January meeting and Austin moved Tuesday night to fill the position by nominating businessman Adam Booth. Austin said there were two candidates who…
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CHICAGO — As the jury in the corruption trial of the United States versus Michael Madigan and Michael McClain that began on Oct. 8 enters its third week of deliberation, jurors are processing the relationship of two men who seemingly have been there for each other for more than four decades and how it will…
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A White County Illinois judge has found the state’s Firearms Owner’s ID card unconstitutional when enforced against someone possessing their firearms in their home. The case Illinois vs. Vivian Brown stems from a 2017 case where Brown separated from her husband. She possessed a single-shot .22 rifle in her home. Her husband filed a complaint…
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MRN Editor David Adam recently sat down with Quincy Mayor Mike Troup and his challenger in the Feb. 25 GOP Quincy mayoral primary, former alderman Dan Brink. Both men talked about their vision for Quincy’s future.
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Gov. JB Pritzker has “revised” his remarks about not raising taxes to balance the budget. “It’s very important that we live within our means in this state, and that we not resort to tax increases as a way to, you know, to balance the budget,” Pritzker said on January 30. Last week, when I asked…
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SPRINGFIELD — The entire Republican caucus of the Illinois House of Representatives walked out during session Wednesday as several resolutions were brought to the floor by Democrats condemning actions taken by the federal government, specifically President Donald Trump. HR stands for “House Resolution”: House Republicans called the resolutions “political grandstanding” and the caucus walked out…
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With Illinois facing a $3.2 billion budget deficit, Senate Republicans are once again demanding answers about how much taxpayer money is being spent on programs for non-citizens. At a Tuesday Statehouse news conference, Illinois Senate Republican Whip Jil Tracy (R-Quincy), Senator Dave Syverson (R-Cherry Valley), and Senator Li Arellano, Jr (R-Dixon) announced the reintroduction of…
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SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — State Rep. Kyle Moore recently secured positions on the House Veterans Affairs and Public Utility committees, among others. “When I served as the Mayor of Quincy. I fought for our heroes at the Quincy Veterans Home. Participating on the Veterans Affairs Committee gives me a seat at the table to continue working…
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To many Statehouse types, some of last week’s news out of Washington, DC felt eerily familiar. Last Monday night, the White House announced a sweeping new policy that would’ve at least temporarily defunded trillions of dollars of government spending on everything from the National School Lunch Program, to Head Start, to cancer and sleep disorders…
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SPRINGFIELD — Fourth and eighth grade students in Illinois generally scored as well or better than the national average in reading and math, according to results of the latest round of national test results. But their scores remain below pre-pandemic levels and, in the case of reading, continue to decline steadily. The results also showed…
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Gov. JB Pritzker took aim at President Donald Trump this week, calling him “unfit to lead” because of his comments following a midair collision in Washington, D.C. that killed 67 people. The president offered his condolences at a Thursday press briefing before transitioning to blaming former Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden for air traffic…
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CHICAGO — Former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan is accused of leading a criminal enterprise over nearly a decade, designed to enhance his political power and financial well-being. Michael McClain of Quincy, a former lawmaker and longtime lobbyist for ComEd, is also on trial and accused of acting as Madigan’s agent. CHICAGO TRIBUNE: Nearly four…
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Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe doubled down on his support for a state takeover of the St. Louis Police Department on Tuesday, telling lawmakers during his first State of the State address that crime in the city is “unacceptable.” He also waded carefully into the debate over abortion, stopping short of suggesting any rollback of reproductive…
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Gov. Pritzker’s office detailed all of the impacted programs: Access Issues for Federal Funding Portals Despite official information from the federal government stating that programs that provide assistance directly to individuals will not be impacted, state agencies and partner organizations reported issues accessing payment systems throughout the day on January 28. Federal officials have not…
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