Politics
In the wake of Friday night storms that left six dead at an Amazon warehouse in Edwardsville, a disaster proclamation was issued Monday for 28 counties in southern and central Illinois. The proclamation will bring personnel or equipment from the Illinois Emergency Management Agency to assist with storm recovery. “My administration is committed to standing…
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The Missouri Attorney General’s Office has sent nearly three dozen school districts letters instructing them to halt COVID-19 mandates — such as mandatory face coverings, quarantines, or vaccines — this week. The letters, which instruct the districts to “cease and desist” their orders, also say the Attorney General’s Office will begin an investigation into “alleged failure to follow the law.” All…
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After receiving “violent threats,” a state rep from suburban Cook County won’t pursue a proposal requiring unvaccinated Illinoisans to pay their health care expenses — including hospital bills — out of pocket if they contract COVID-19. State Rep. Jonathan Carroll, D-Northbrook, said in a statement Thursday that he decided not to pursue the legislation he…
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An Illinois state representative introduced a new bill this week that would force unvaccinated patients to pay their own medical expenses if they receive hospital treatment for COVID-19. Rep. Jonathan Carroll (D-Northbrook) sponsored the new legislation, HB 4259, that seeks to encourage Illinois residents to receive a vaccination. The bill proposes “a person who is eligible…
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SPRINGFIELD — To Illinois prisoners, commissary is more than candy bars, shaving cream and socks. It represents normalcy and choice. “It’s everything to them,” said Melly Rios, whose husband is in Stateville Correctional Center serving 45 years for murder. A recent report from the John Howard Association, a prison watchdog group, detailed widespread supply shortages…
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Illinois marijuana revenue in 2021 will likely more than double that of 2020, but high taxes keep illegal drug dealers thriving. November 2021 was the ninth consecutive month with over $100 million in marijuana sales in Illinois dispensaries, according to new state data. Illinois surpassed the 2020 sales total of $669 million in June this year. Despite the…
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Should Congressman Rodney Davis (R-Taylorville) win re-election in 2022, he will represent Illinois’ 15th District, which will include West-Central Illinois. Davis sat down with MRN Publisher/GM J. Robert Gough to discuss redistricting, re-election and the state of politics in Illinois and Washington D.C. Muddy River News This Week is furnished by Harvey’s.
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Two years ago, a company led by an influential businessman faced off with the state’s environmental regulators over whether it needed to do additional testing for a chemical health officials worried could pose a cancer risk to the company’s workers. The Moberly manufacturing facility, Orscheln Products LLC, is owned by the family of businessman Barry Orscheln,…
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Gov. J.B. Pritzker in October teased Illinoisans that they could see indoor mask mandates lifted before the holidays, but a surge in new cases makes it unlikely he will follow through. Six states have mask mandates in effect for residents regardless of their vaccination status, with Illinois the only one east of the Mississippi. Some Illinois politicians are questioning…
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SPRINGFIELD – Quincy Regional Airport is one of nearly 100 airports across Illinois to receive state funding in the coming months for projects ranging from new runways and road relocations to the purchase of mowers and snow removal equipment. The money comes from the $45 billion Rebuild Illinois capital infrastructure plan which passed the General…
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SPRINGFIELD – A three-judge federal court panel in Chicago will begin hearing oral arguments Tuesday in three cases that could determine the makeup of state legislative maps in the Chicago area and Metro East region for the next 10 years. The panel announced during a status hearing Friday that it will go ahead with in-person…
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Nearly two years ago, a WBEZ open-records request to Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker’s office set off alarm bells in Springfield. The governor’s office released a 2012 email exchange between now-indicted former Commonwealth Edison lobbyist Michael McClain and two top aides to then-Gov. Pat Quinn. McClain was seeking leniency for a former state employee, Forrest Ashby,…
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When people are checked into the Clay County Detention Center, they all have to pay an intake fee of $8. But for women on their periods, entering the jail used to cost them extra. Incarcerated women at the facility used to be charged about $6 for two packages of 12 pads. If they didn’t have…
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Taylorville congressman will be representing West-Central Illinois should he win in 2022. U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis (R-Taylorville) on Tuesday announced he’ll run for a sixth term in Congress, ending months of chatter about his possible entrance in the Republican primary to unseat Gov. JB Pritzker in 2022. “Democrats in Washington have put our nation in…
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WASHINGTON — Enforcement of the Biden administration’s vaccine mandate for millions of health care workers was blocked in 10 states on Monday, after a ruling by a federal judge in Missouri. The ruling by U.S. District Judge Matthew Schelp affects the states involved in the lawsuit, including Missouri. The others are Iowa, Kansas, New Hampshire,…
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Driving on Illinois’ dilapidated roads and bridges could cost as much as $1,119 extra a year, a new study finds. Illinois ranked 14th worst in the nation, an analysis of state road infrastructure found. Illinois has 20 percent of its roads ranked non-acceptable and 12 percent of bridges in poor condition by Federal Highway Administration standards. But the state…
Read Full Article SPRINGFIELD — Lawyers for the General Assembly’s Democratic leaders filed documents in federal court Wednesday denying that newly drawn state legislative district maps amount to racial gerrymandering, instead accusing the plaintiffs in the three lawsuits of trying to use race to redraw districts for their own purposes. Wednesday’s filings are the Democrats’ response to proposed…
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SPRINGFIELD – Gov. JB Pritzker on Tuesday signed legislation redrawing the state’s congressional district maps, saying they reflect Illinois’ diversity and preserve minority representation. “These maps align with the landmark Voting Rights Act and will ensure all communities are equitably represented in our congressional delegation,” Pritzker said in a statement. Due to the state’s declining population,…
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SPRINGFIELD – With a pair of major policy victories in hand, Gov. JB Pritzker traveled to the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Glasgow, Scotland, at the beginning of the month and shared a vision for his home state: “Illinois intends to become the best place in North America to drive and manufacture an electric…
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Benefits to Be Paid Through Direct Deposit or Paper Check, Debit Cards No Longer Used SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) has announced that in the coming weeks, unemployment insurance benefit payments will no longer be made by debit card. Beginning December 27, 2021, claimants who defaulted to a debit card option as…
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State Income Tax Range: 4.95% (flat rate)Average Combined State and Local Sales Tax Rate: 8.83%Median Property Tax Rate: $2,165 per $100,000 of assessed home value Sorry, Illinois, but you’re the least tax-friendly state in the country for middle-class families. For all three taxes we’re tracking – income, sales, and property taxes – you tax middle-income…
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Education professionals from across the state are being put on unpaid leave or fired for not complying with Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate. And their unions have been of no help. It’s not known how many teachers or other education professionals have been put on unpaid leave or fired for not complying with the…
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As costs increase and the winter months approach, Missouri is expanding its energy assistance benefits for low-income residents. The Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program offers eligible Missourians assistance on heating and cooling bills. While the summer program has been offered from June-September with the winter program running from November-May, the Department of Social Services (DSS) expanded the program this week to…
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Court decision has no effect on vaccine mandates applying in healthcare settings or to federal contractors and subcontractors On Thursday, November 4, 2021, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) published an Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) that establishes minimum COVID-19 vaccination and testing requirements for private employers with 100 or more employees throughout the United…
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In a 7-0 vote Nov. 16, the Illinois State Board of Elections dismissed a campaign spending complaint against Illinois Auditor General Frank Mautino’s old Illinois House campaign committee. Back in May, the Illinois Supreme Court ruled Mautino’s campaign committee did violate Illinois campaign finance law by spending $225,109 from 1999 until 2015 on gas and repairs to vehicles the…
Read Full Article April 20, 2025
MRN THIS WEEK: QFD CHIEF STEVE SALRIN
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