Politics
SPRINGFIELD – Seven teams of Republicans and one team of Democrats have lined up to challenge Gov. JB Pritzker and Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton in the 2022 elections. Monday was the deadline for candidates to turn in their nominating petitions to the Illinois State Board of Elections to get their names on the June 28…
Read Full Article Electric vehicles (EVs) are on the rise in Missouri. In the past decade alone, more than 11,000 EVs have been sold in the Show-Me State. As more Missouri residents hit the road in an electric car, making sure that it’s as easy to charge up your battery as it is to fill up your tank is crucial. Missouri…
Read Full Article March 12 marks the two-year anniversary of Gov. JB Pritzker’s first executive order citing emergency powers in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Pritzker has since issued 112 orders and declared a statewide disaster 27 times to extend those powers. Pritzker has been allowed to enact various policies without any input from the legislature. Those policies have included limiting…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Four more candidates filed for Adams County Board on Wednesday, including two incumbents and two challengers. Republican incumbents Marvin Kerkhoff and Dave Bellis filed for re-election in District 3 as did newcomer Rodney Hermsmeier. Incumbent Republican Raquel Sparrow filed for re-election in District 3 on Monday, but with three more Republicans filing, now…
Read Full Article WASHINGTON, DC – Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Ranking Member Sam Graves (R-MO) today joined Highways and Transit Subcommittee Ranking Member Rodney Davis (R-IL) and other Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Republicans to ask the Biden administration to rescind guidance intended to delay or deter critical road and highway expansion projects in clear defiance of the Infrastructure Investment…
Read Full Article CHICAGO — One week after he was charged in a 22-count federal indictment that included racketeering, for Illinois House Speaker Michael J. Madigan is scheduled to be arraigned in a hearing to be conducted by phone at 1:30 p.m. today at the Everett M. Dirksen U.S. Federal Courthouse in Chicago’s Loop. Madigan, 79, faces allegations…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Adams County Board member Steve DeMoss (D-District 1) filed to run for re-election on Tuesday. Two others also filed to run for the 21-seat board on Tuesday: Republican Keith Callaway, also in District 1, and Republican Tim Finlay in District 5. Both are first time candidates for County Board seats. District 1 suddenly…
Read Full Article QUINCY — Adams County Clerk and Recorder Ryan Niekamp may not have to worry about a primary challenge in June, but a Democrat filed to run against him in November. Arianna Downard-Salih filed to run against Niekamp Monday morning, shortly after Niekamp officially filed to run for re-election. Adams County Treasurer Bryden Cory also filed…
Read Full Article Parents of kids under 14 are one step closer to legally deciding when it’s safe to leave their children home alone. The Illinois House unanimously passed a bill amending the child abandonment statute. House Bill 4305 instead lets parents determine maturity based on the individual child, not a minimum age. Illinois’ minimum age of 14 is the highest age in the…
Read Full Article SPRINGFIELD — In a 106-page, 22-count indictment, federal prosecutors painted a picture of former House Speaker Michael Madigan as the leader, along with a longtime confidante, of a sweeping criminal enterprise that influenced legislation for personal power and financial gain. “The Madigan Enterprise,” as prosecutors called it in the document filed Wednesday, benefitted from Madigan’s…
Read Full Article Statement from Michael Madigan, former Illinois Speaker of the House, regarding Wednesday’s federal indictment on 22 counts of racketeering conspiracy and running a criminal enterprise: Statement from Madigan’s attorneys, Sheldon Zenner and Gil Soffer, on the indictment: Statement from Patrick Cotter, attorney for Quincy attorney and lobbyist Michael McClain, Madigan’s confidant, co-defendant and alleged co-conspirator:
Read Full Article SPRINGFIELD – Gov. JB Pritzker’s plan for pausing a scheduled automatic increase in the state’s motor fuel tax is facing opposition from several quarters, including engineering companies that design road and bridge projects. On Thursday, officials from the American Council of Engineering Companies of Illinois said pausing the scheduled increase could have long-term consequences that…
Read Full Article SPRINGFIELD – Illinois Senate Democrats outlined legislation during a Thursday news conference that aims to address the ongoing teacher shortage throughout the state. The bills would extend the number of days retired and substitute teachers would be able to teach in a school year, waive substitute teaching licensing fees, and lower the minimum age for…
Read Full Article PETERSBURG, IL – Republican candidate for governor Jesse Sullivan announced Adams County State’s Attorney Gary Farha as a member of his Safe Streets Leadership Council, a bipartisan group of more than 20 Illinois leaders who support Sullivan’s plan law enforcement initiative. “I’ve experienced firsthand the denigration and destruction of law and order as a result of…
Read Full Article SPRINGFIELD – A House revenue committee this week heard projections of an Illinois economy that is steadily moving back toward a level of pre-pandemic normalcy, which means revenue spikes realized due to temporary changes in consumer spending habits and federal stimulus packages are expected to subside. Illinois Department of Revenue Director David Harris characterized the…
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