Politics
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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JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Gov. Mike Parson pardoned Mark and Patricia McCloskey last month, the Governor’s Office said. The McCloskeys had pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges in June related to last year’s incident when the couple pointed firearms at protesters who marched past their house in St. Louis. Mark McCloskey is a Republican candidate for U.S. Senate. The McCloskeys were…
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The Missouri Supreme Court ruled last month that the state must expand Medicaid as voters approved in 2020. Now it’s just a question of when. On Friday, attorneys representing plaintiffs who would have qualified for coverage urged Cole County Circuit Court Judge Jon Beetem to effectuate what the state’s highest court ordered and prohibit the…
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Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White said starting Sept. 1, Secretary of State employees who have not been vaccinated against COVID-19 will be required to submit to repeated COVID-19 testing. “As the pandemic continues to surge nationally, we must do all we can to maintain the safety of our customers and employees and this is…
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CHICAGO — Gov. JB Pritzker announced Tuesday that masks will be required for students, teachers and staff at pre-K through 12th grade schools and day cares across Illinois, regardless of vaccination status. The new requirement formalizes the CDC guidance released in July on universal masking for both unvaccinated and vaccinated people in schools. The mask…
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The Illinois Department of Public Health announced it was adopting new, stricter masking guidelines issued by the federal government, which call for universal masking at schools even for vaccinated students and staff. IDPH was also asking for indoor masking of the general public in areas of substantial or high COVID-19 transmission. By their definition, that is almost…
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CHICAGO — Former governor and convicted felon Rod Blagojevich on Monday told WLS that Illinois’ General Assembly violated his civil rights in removing him from office and then prohibiting him from any future run for elective office in the state. Blagojevich was impeached and convicted in 2009 and now plans to ask that a federal…
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Eight months after her son was born, Webster Groves High School teacher Jaime Adamski broke down in tears at her doctor’s office. Her breast milk had declined significantly since she had gone back to work. “I was depressed, angry, frustrated,” she said. “I felt like I was not a good enough mother because I wasn’t…
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By JASON HANCOCKThe Missouri Independent Missouri Gov. Mike Parson has added his name to the growing list of GOP elected officials asking the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion. Parson and 11 Republican governors submitted an amicus brief on Thursday in a Mississippi case weighing whether state laws that…
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