Politics
CHICAGO – Illinois Governor JB Pritzker received a question Tuesday at a news conference asking if he was going to follow through with strict enforcement measures against local school districts that voted to remain mask-optional. Reporter: “So far, 51 school districts out of 859 are defying your mask mandate and allowing parental choice. Are you…
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Wars are not always fought by armed military forces with guns, bombs, stealth fighters, and sophisticated weaponry. And the enemy is not always clearly defined. Even the reasons for war often lack clarity. But the divisiveness and fighting still rage, nonetheless. At first glance, you might think characterizing the divisiveness that America is experiencing today…
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Federal prosecutors argued Monday that a bid from four members of ex-House Speaker Michael Madigan’s inner circle to convince a judge to toss part of the indictment filed against them ignores the alleged corruption at the heart of the case. “The illegal conduct alleged in the indictment did not consist merely of lobbying, and it…
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SEDALIA, Mo. — Missouri is investing at least $400 million to increase broadband across the state, Gov. Mike Parson announced from the Missouri State Fair Thursday. The funds, pending appropriations approval by the legislature, will come from the federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). Additionally, the Department of Economic Development (DED) has applied for an additional $56 million from the federal government to…
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The Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation has apologized for inquiring about a Mahomet-Seymour school board member’s views on the state mask mandate and for telling Dr. Jeremy Henrichs that “an official investigation” would be launched under the Medical Practice Act. Late Friday afternoon, a day after Republican state Sen. Chapin Rose told The…
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The federal government is handing Illinois schools and local government a “boatload” of money for COVID-19 relief, and Gov. J.B. Pritzker said the money should go to property tax relief. “This is a great year for local communities to consider freezing or lowering their property taxes,” Pritzker said Aug. 17. “Why is this a good year to…
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SPRINGFIELD — Lawmakers will head back to the Capitol on Aug. 31 to consider changes to the legislative maps that Gov. JB Pritzker signed into law earlier this year. Those maps, which set the new boundaries for the 118 state House and 59 state Senate districts for the next decade, were passed based on survey…
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A doctor and member of the Mahomet-Seymour Board of Education says state regulators are threatening his medical license over his criticism of Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s school mask mandate. Dr. Jeremy Henrichs works at Carle Orthopedics and Sports Medicine in Champaign, which is division of Carle Hospital in Urbana. He is a sports team physician at the…
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Statewide payroll jobs up significantly for second consecutive month; unemployment rate down in July
SPRINGFIELD — The Illinois Department of Employment Security announced Thursday that the unemployment rate fell 0.1 percentage point to 7.1 percent, while nonfarm payrolls increased 35,400 in July, based on preliminary data provided by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and released by IDES. The June monthly change in payrolls was revised from the preliminary report,…
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Missouri payrolls added exactly 15,000 non-farm jobs in July as the unemployment rate ticked down 0.1 percent, seasonally adjusted data from the federal Bureau of Labor Standards shows. The state’s labor force of 3.08 million, however, declined by 177, and overall employment, which includes self-employed people and farm labor, grew by 4,462 for the month.…
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SPRINGFIELD — A capacity crowd packed into the Illinois State Board of Education room on Wednesday as many more stood outside the building to protest the state’s new indoor mask mandate in all public and nonpublic schools. “I’m so tired of hearing how resilient our kids are. Resilience is something you choose,” said Ruby Johnson,…
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JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Those seeking a substitute teaching certificate in Missouri will be allowed to pursue accreditation through alternative training as the state still struggles with a staffing shortage heading into the new school year. The rule change, approved by the State Board of Education Tuesday, permanently gives applicants the choice between the standard 60 hours of college…
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SPRINGFIELD — Gov. JB Pritzker didn’t directly say Monday whether he would extend the state’s eviction moratorium for those facing hardships due to the COVID-19 pandemic as cases, deaths and hospitalizations for the virus continue to rise. “We’ve looked at that. We continue to look at it. We’ll make a decision about that soon,” Pritzker…
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Four members of former House Speaker Michael Madigan’s inner circle could face trial late in 2022 for their alleged roles in the ComEd bribery scandal. What’s still not clear is whether new allegations might surface in the case by then. U.S. District Judge Harry Leinenweber on Tuesday scheduled a Sept. 12, 2022, trial for Madigan…
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State Senator Jil Tracy (R-Quincy) said she believes Governor JB Pritzker’s executive order and administrative rules give them “the upper hand” in being able to mandate masks in Illinois schools. Tracy gave an update on Facebook over the weekend and said she was appealing to the governor to “help them recognize the importance of allowing…
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As the Illinois tourism industry struggles to get back on its feet, some are stressing that people need to feel safe in their venues in order to rebound. The House Tourism Committee recently held a subject matter hearing on ways the industry can rebound from the pandemic. The hotel industry may have been hit the…
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President Joe Biden’s $1 trillion bill targeted at revamping the country’s infrastructure could create jobs for Missourians in the state’s booming renewable energy sector. The Senate approved Biden’s sweeping infrastructure legislation Wednesday after months of negotiations, marking a bipartisan victory for leaders in Washington. The bill adds $550 billion to its federal budget and is…
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SPRINGFIELD — Seventeen crashes involving Illinois state troopers or their vehicles have occurred in 2021 as a result of violations to the state’s traffic law known as “Scott’s Law.” Gov. JB Pritzker signed a new law Thursday, Senate Bill 1913, allowing judges to issue community service among other penalties to those violating the law, which requires…
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S&P Global Ratings upgraded Illinois’s bond rating for the first time in 25 years, but the slight bump came with harsh criticism of how Illinois handles its public pension funds. S&P agents argued the public pension systems are in danger because the pensions have massive obligations, the politicians won’t fix them and thousands of taxpaying Illinoisans are moving out.…
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SPRINGFIELD – The state announced a $250 million “Back to Business” grant program aimed at assisting small businesses in the recovery from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and associated economic shutdowns. The program is funded by the federal American Rescue Plan Act signed by President Joe Biden, and it includes specific set-aside amounts for certain uses.…
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By RUDI KELLER, Missouri Independent Missouri is seeing the first signs that the Delta variant surge may have crested, though many areas are still suffer from rising COVID-19 case numbers while hospitalizations hit new highs for the summer. On Wednesday, the seven-day average of COVID-19 cases reported by the Department of Health and Senior Services declined week-over-week…
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By PETER HANCOCKCapitol News Illinois SPRINGFIELD – A new law in Illinois will make it easier for part-time school and college employees to receive paid family and medical leave. Gov. JB Pritzker signed a bill Tuesday lowering the threshold for those workers so that most will be eligible for the benefit after one year of…
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Illinois State Police are notifying about 2,000 Illinoisans with Firearm Owners Identification cards that their personal information may have been compromised in a hack of the agency’s Police FOID card portal. The backlog-plagued system was hit with a cyberattack, ISP confirmed Thursday. “Out of necessity, some of the online account parameters put in place for…
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SPRINGFIELD – After a one-year interruption last year due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Illinois State Fair in Springfield is set to reopen Thursday with new attractions and new safety requirements. Among the new requirements, Illinois Department of Agriculture Director Jerry Costello II said during a media briefing Friday, will be a mask mandate at…
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Illinois was No. 10 just a few years ago, but diligent efforts by politicians mean Illinois is now No. 2 for the taxes paid on a gallon of gas. The American Petroleum Institute just broke down the taxes on gas in each state and found Illinois charges 77.96 cents per gallon with both federal and state taxes and fees…
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