Politics
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker has signed off on legislation prohibiting landlords from retaliating against tenants who lodge code violation complaints against them. The Landlord Retaliation Act also bans landlords from terminating leases, increasing rent, decreasing services or threatening lawsuits in instances of such disputes, as well as bars them from refusing to renew a lease…
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State regulators issued two cannabis recall notices last week involving 135,000 marijuana products — more than double Missouri’s first massive cannabis product recall exactly one year ago. “I’ve never seen recalls of this magnitude in any other state,” said Nick Rinella, CEO of Hippos Cannabis. “This is kind of unprecedented.” Since the announcement, Rinella and facility owners…
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SPRINGFIELD – Illinois Republicans say they are still as united about the upcoming election as they were at their national convention in Milwaukee last month, despite surge of enthusiasm for the Democrats’ new presidential candidate, Vice President Kamala Harris. “Republicans are ready,” state party chair Kathy Salvi told reporters at the Illinois State Fair Thursday.…
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PRINGFIELD – Democrats gathered in Springfield Wednesday for their annual rally at the Illinois State Fair amid a surge of enthusiasm and a renewed sense of optimism about their chances of retaining the White House in November. “There’s a new level of energy in this effort,” U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin told reporters just before the…
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Members of Sonya Massey’s family and their attorneys called a news conference Wednesday to push for federal and state legislation in the wake of Massey’s shooting. Civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump called former Sangamon County Sheriff’s Deputy Sean Grayson “a ticking time bomb waiting to explode,” but also blamed a system that failed to heed…
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An end run around the Missouri General Assembly has the nation’s two largest sports books driving hard to their goal of crossing home plate with a big payday. A constitutional amendment to legalize sports wagering will be Amendment 2 on the Nov. 5 ballot, Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft’s office said Tuesday, after finding that backers had…
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The dismissal of its bankruptcy case in Florida is not stopping the Gateway Pundit from seeking a continued delay in the defamation case against it by two Georgia poll workers. But the case may be moving ahead soon regardless. In a motion filed Aug. 5 in the St. Louis Circuit Court, lawyers for the Gateway…
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Walking into Total Wine stores in Missouri this summer, it was impossible not to see the display for hemp-derived THC infused beverages. Total Wine, the country’s largest liquor retailer, set the tone for the alcohol industry in June when it began carrying the products at its seven Missouri stores. “It has been amazing for us,”…
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Professor Chad DeWaard of Culver-Stockton College talks about the national political landscape after a tumultuous last few weeks (Months? Years?).
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SPRINGFIELD – A little over a month after the shooting death of Sonya Massey by a sheriff’s deputy, Sangamon County Sheriff Jack Campbell on Friday announced his retirement, effective no later than Aug. 31. His announcement comes amid intense pressure to resign, including from Gov. JB Pritzker on Thursday. The Massey shooting raised questions regarding…
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BOONVILLE – U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley said Thursday that he will participate in moderated television debates with Democrat Lucas Kunce, but first he wants Kunce to agree to debate without moderators at the Missouri State Fair. In response, Kunce said he will take part in the Lincoln-Douglas style debate Hawley wants, but first the incumbent…
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QUINCY — The office of City Clerk Laura Oakman, local election official in and for the City of Quincy at 730 Maine, Suite 129, recently announced that petitions for independent candidates in the April 1, 2025, consolidated general election will be available Aug. 20. The first day to file independent petitions in the office of…
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Patrick McKenna, director of the Missouri Department of Transportation, on Wednesday said he will leave his post after almost nine years on the job. McKenna announced his decision near the end of a meeting of the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission in Poplar Bluff. He did not give a date for his departure and did not return messages seeking…
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SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — State Sen. Jil Tracy (R-Quincy) is one of five Illinois State Senators who have received the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) Guardian of Small Business Award. “Small businesses are the bedrock of our state’s economy, so it is important to support the legislation that helps them succeed and to oppose the…
Read Full Article CHICAGO — Governor JB Pritzker and Lt. Governor Juliana Stratton issued a news release Tuesday night, calling for the resignation of Sangamon County Sheriff Jack Campbell following the death of Sonya Massey. A Sanagmon County deputy, Sean Grayson, was captured on video shooting and killing Massey on July 6. Grayson was fired and faces murder…
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I’ve always thought that true political talent is rooted in dexterity: the ability to appeal to a wide variety of constituencies without significant internal contradictions. Every politician starts with his or her base. Sometimes that base is ideological. Other times it is, racial, geographic or generational. Candidates with dexterity are not only able to expand…
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Missouri Republicans ratified Gov. Mike Parson’s choice of successor Tuesday by nominating Lt. Gov. Mike Kehoe, rejecting the scion of a veteran political family and the disruptive tactics of the GOP’s most vocal faction. Kehoe trailed Ashcroft in most polls until this summer, when the $16 million campaign warchest he amassed in his campaign fund and joint…
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ST. LOUIS – St. Louis County Prosecutor Wesley Bell defeated U.S. Rep. Cori Bush in the Democratic primary for Missouri’s 1st District Congressional seat on Tuesday, capping a showdown between the highest profile political figures to emerge from the Ferguson uprising 10 years ago. The Associated Press called the at 10 p.m. with Bell holding…
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Ralls County results Incumbent Brad Stinson is defeated by Brian Allen in the Republican primary for sheriff. Allen won with 57 percent of the vote. Stinson, who faced lawsuits from former employees regarding retaliation and harassment charges during his term, thanked his supporters on Facebook. “I wish to thank everyone for your support and encouragement,”…
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Months of campaigning and TV ad wars will come to a close Tuesday, as Missouri voters head to the polls to pick their party’s nominee for Congress, the state legislature and nearly every statewide office. The Independent tried to answer some of the questions you may have about voting in Missouri’s primary. What time do…
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There’s a lot more to the newly enacted law eliminating Illinois’ grocery tax in 2026. Local governments can now impose their own 1 percent tax, along with other sales tax increases. Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced Monday he signed House Bill 3144, touting relief he said the measure will bring. “Even with inflation cooling off every dollar…
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Attorneys on both sides of the federal corruption case against former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan didn’t agree on much this past month, but they are aligned on one thing: they’re prepared to go to trial on Oct. 8 in Chicago. The agreement to keep the already-delayed trial date in place kicked off a month…
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ROSEMONT – Gov. JB Pritzker on Wednesday signed legislation aimed at curtailing the practice of “captive audience” meetings – a strategy businesses sometimes use to dissuade workers from forming a union. The law, dubbed the “Worker Freedom of Speech Act,” was a top priority this spring for organized labor groups in Illinois, which played host…
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A Facebook post last week by state Sen. Willie Preston (D-Chicago) created a stir, caused one of his fellow Democratic Senators to bow out of a planned joint fundraiser and, ultimately, the entire fundraiser was canceled. It’s all a good illustration of the ill-informed, rapid-fire insanity of our social media-fueled era. Sen. Preston posted an…
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In the winter, Senate Majority Leader Cindy O’Laughlin said she would vote to expel state Sen. Bill Eigel. This summer, a political action committee connected to O’Laughlin is working to stop him from becoming governor. On July 5, the NEMO Leadership PAC — which was created to support O’Laughlin — contributed $100,000 to the Great Northwest PAC…
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