Politics
Mike Farha has been a Republican alderman representing Quincy’s 4th Ward for 26 years. For most of that time, he has been a reliable advocate for his constituents, whether it was commercial encroachment on residential neighborhoods or taking care of stop signs, streets or sidewalks. As he enters the twilight of his political tenure, he’s…
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An appeals court has reversed state regulators’ approval of a permit for the Illinois portion of an 800-mile, high-voltage transmission line, setting up a possible fight at the state’s Supreme Court. The Grain Belt Express, or GBX, is owned by Chicago-based Invenergy and is meant to carry renewable electricity generated by wind farms. It would…
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SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — A new law sponsored by State Sen. Jil Tracy (R-Quincy) creates flexibility for working parents by providing more daycare scheduling options for shift employees. Senate Bill 3207 authorizes daycare centers to operate for 24 hours and provide care for children for up to 12 hours if the parent of the child is…
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The winner of the Republican primary for Ralls County Sheriff joins MRN’s J. Robert Gough. He has no Democratic opponent or a write-in as of yet, so it looks like he’ll be the county’s next sheriff. We talk about his law enforcement philosophy and working with other agencies.
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Illinois House Speaker Chris Welch has said he thinks he can flip somewhere between four and six Republican-held House districts to Democratic control, upping his super-majority to between 82 and 84 seats, from his current 78. Which Republican districts are flippable? I talked with a high-level source close to Welch’s caucus who pointed to the…
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Prosecutors want a joint trial for former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan and co-defendant Michael McClain to avoid the two men blaming each other for a nearly decade-long racketeering and bribery scheme. McClain, a former state lawmaker and former ComEd lobbyist known for his close association with Madigan, filed a request in July to sever his trial…
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SEDALIA, Mo. — A confrontation between U.S. Senate rivals Thursday on the Missouri State Fairgrounds may be the closest thing to a live debate in the 2024 campaign. U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley, a Republican seeking his second term, arrived at the Governor’s Ham Breakfast looking for Lucas Kunce, the Democrat hoping to unseat him. He…
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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…
Read Full Article December 21, 2024
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