Politics
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…
Read Full Article 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…
Read Full Article 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…
Read Full Article 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…
Read Full Article 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,…
Read Full Article 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…
Read Full Article 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…
Read Full Article 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…
Read Full Article 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,…
Read Full Article 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…
Read Full Article 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…
Read Full Article 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,…
Read Full Article 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…
Read Full Article 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,…
Read Full Article 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…
Read Full Article 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…
Read Full Article 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…
Read Full Article 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…
Read Full Article 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…
Read Full Article 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…
Read Full Article 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 SPRINGFIELD – Plaintiffs in three lawsuits challenging the new legislative district maps that Democrats pushed through the General Assembly earlier this year have submitted their proposed changes, which would create more Latino- and Black-majority districts in Cook County and the Metro East region. The latest filings, submitted to a three-judge federal court panel Wednesday night,…
Read Full Article One recent death due to COVID and 30 have died from it since the inception of the pandemic. From Illinois Veterans Home-Quincy Administrator Troy Culbertson sent to staff and residents on Wednesday: Since our last COVID-19 update there have been zero additional cases of COVID-19 among residents at our home, for a total of 141…
Read Full Article For calling an attorney challenging his executive orders in court a “grifter,” Gov. J.B. Pritzker faces a summons in Sangamon County Circuit Court to answer to a defamation allegation. Thomas DeVore, an attorney who has filed multiple lawsuits against the governor over COVID-19 vaccine mandates in schools and businesses, sued Pritzker late last month, claiming…
Read Full Article Illinois’ sluggish labor market is driven by a record number of workers quitting their jobs at the same time there are fewer job opportunities than in nearly any other state. Even though an all-time record number of workers quit, Illinois was only No. 7 in the “Great Resignation.” Illinois’ sluggish labor market is driven by…
Read Full Article If nothing is done soon to address Illinois’ unemployment trust fund debt, employer groups say the costs to do business in Illinois will continue to increase. Illinois is past due on its unemployment insurance trust fund debt and the interest continues to grow. As of Monday, the U.S. Treasury showed Illinois’ outstanding unemployment trust fund debt is…
Read Full Article Even as nursing homes worked through the summer to get Missouri over the halfway mark in employee vaccinations, the state fell further behind peers, dropping to last in the nation. And while neighboring Kansas has fared better, both states have large swaths of nursing home staff to get vaccinated before a federal deadline next month.…
Read Full Article About half of Missouri is now required to adhere to 10-digit dialing to make local calls to accommodate a new phone number for the National Suicide Prevention Hotline. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) approved 988 as the nationwide shorthand number for the hotline last summer. Similar to the 911 system, the three-digit dialing option will allow callers to…
Read Full Article 2020-2021 Pre-K-12 enrollment fell 3.6 percent from previous year SPRINGFIELD – The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in significant drops in enrollment, academic performance and the likelihood of graduating high school on time, according to the latest school report card released recently by the Illinois State Board of Education. The report card is an annual report that tracks how…
Read Full Article With the 2016 relocation of the Rams back to Los Angeles tied up in court, there has been some speculation of St. Louis receiving an NFL expansion team as a way to appease it for the loss. Rams owner Stan Kroenke and other team owners are embroiled in a massive legal battle with St. Louis over allegations the team improperly moved…
Read Full Article Before slavery ended in 1865, large numbers of Missourians didn’t count in the population base used to allocate the seats in the General Assembly. In the 1821 Missouri Constitution, only “free white male inhabitants” counted in the distribution of Missouri House seats, leaving out white women and all Blacks, free or enslaved. A change in 1849 added white…
Read Full Article ST. LOUIS – The Missouri Court of Appeals at St. Louis on Tuesday rejected a bid by the Los Angeles Rams, its owner and the National Football League to move January’s relocation lawsuit out of St. Louis. An order signed by Robert M. Clayton III of Hannibal, the eastern district appeals court’s presiding judge, denied…
Read Full Article SPRINGFIELD — Illinois lawmakers gave final approval in the early hours of Friday morning to a new congressional redistricting plan that divides the state into 17 districts, one fewer than it currently has due to its loss of population since the 2010 U.S. Census. It was the fourth draft plan that legislative Democrats had proposed over the…
Read Full Article SPRINGFIELD — The Illinois House late Wednesday gave final passage to a bill that repeals the state’s Parental Notice of Abortion Act, clearing the way for Gov. JB Pritzker to sign it into law. The bill narrowly passed out of the Senate on Tuesday night on a 32-22 vote, with three Democrats voting no and six…
Read Full Article Senate could vote on bill Thursday; would take effect June 2022 if signed SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois House passed a measure Wednesday night that would give employers greater authority to enforce COVID-19 vaccine or testing requirements. The final vote came after 10 p.m. Wednesday, passing on a 64-52 roll call with two present votes. No…
Read Full Article SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Senate advanced a measure to repeal the state’s Parental Notice of Abortion Act early Tuesday evening amid staunch opposition from Republicans and religious groups. The repeal bill passed the Senate Executive Committee on a 9-6-1 vote Tuesday shortly after 5 p.m., and passed the full Senate 32-22 shortly after 8 p.m.…
Read Full Article Missouri schools and libraries have been awarded more than $48 million in federal relief funds over the past three months to address the digital divide and expand broadband access for students. More than 430 schools and libraries across the state were awarded funds from the Federal Communication Commission’s Emergency Connectivity Fund Program in its second round, allowing them to purchase computers, tablets,…
Read Full Article SPRINGFIELD – Gov. JB Pritzker announced an executive order Friday that will add day care personnel to the list of professions that must either be vaccinated against COVID-19 or submit to weekly testing. The governor’s office said it expects the order to affect 55,000 individuals in the state, although many of them may have already…
Read Full Article Illinois Governor JB Pritzker responded to the lawsuit filed by attorney Thomas DeVore against 145 schools, Pritzker and the Illinois State Board of Education behalf of hundreds of parents of students over COVID-19 orders affecting school children. “Well, you know, he’s a grifter who is taking money from parents who are being taken advantage of,”…
Read Full Article SPRINGFIELD, IL – Relief is coming for farmers who experienced excessive moisture and flash flooding this spring and summer in 12 Illinois counties. The United States Department of Agriculture reviewed the Loss Assessment Reports and determined there were sufficient production losses to warrant a Secretarial natural disaster designation. USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack has issued a…
Read Full Article Parents of dozens of students are suing 145 Illinois school districts, Gov. J.B. Pritzker and the Illinois State Board of Education over COVID-19 orders affecting school children. All Adams County school districts are part of the suit along with most Hancock County schools and several others in West Central Illinois. The case filed in Macoupin…
Read Full Article SPRINGFIELD – Gov. JB Pritzker announced Monday his administration has reached agreement with multiple trade unions requiring certain state workers to be vaccinated against COVID-19, but it is extending the deadline for workers to get their first shot to Oct. 26 while negotiations continue with the state’s largest public employees union. Pritzker issued executive orders in late…
Read Full Article The University of Missouri System allowed a mask mandate for its four campuses to expire Friday. Last month, the Board of Curators extended a rule that face masks be worn in classrooms by a 5-4 vote. That policy was scheduled to end at the close of Friday, and a meeting notice had not been posted this…
Read Full Article SPRINGFIELD – Democrats in the Illinois General Assembly released a proposed set of new congressional district maps Friday, just days before lawmakers return to the Statehouse for the start of their fall veto session, which begins Oct. 19. All states redraw their congressional districts following each decennial census. The proposed new maps reflect the fact that Illinois…
Read Full Article SPRINGFIELD – Gov. JB Pritzker’s campaign released summary documents of his 2020 tax returns Friday, which showed the first family reporting $5.14 million in adjusted gross income, all from taxable interest and dividends. The campaign released seven pages summarizing the governor’s and first lady MK Pritzker’s returns, which were prepared by Deloitte Tax LLP. It…
Read Full Article Gov. J.B Pritzker said Illinois will need to show a steady decline in state COVID-19 transmissions before he considers lifting the statewide indoor mask mandate he revived in August. When asked what metrics were needed for Pritzker to rescind his executive order, the governor pointed to high hospitalization rates and new case numbers relative to metrics when Illinois “fully…
Read Full Article Missouri students and teachers identified as being exposed to a coronavirus case in school may now be permitted to remain in class if they continue to test negative for the virus and properly wear a mask. The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) updated its school reopening guidance Friday to include the new “test to stay”…
Read Full Article Gov. Mike Parson announced a sudden cabinet shake-up Tuesday, with a slew of personnel changes across five state agencies — including the immediate and unexplained departure of the official in charge of the state’s procurement agency. In a news release Tuesday afternoon, Parson announced Office of Administration (OA) Commissioner Sarah Steelman was stepping down and…
Read Full Article Money is being raised in several Chicagoland school districts to join a consolidated action against Governor J.B. Pritzker, the Illinois State Board of Education and the Illinois Department of Public Health, The Kerr Report has learned. Tom DeVore, an attorney based in downstate Greenville, plans to file the action within the next week to 10…
Read Full Article To mark October as Manufacturing Month, state officials Wednesday touted the thousands of manufacturing jobs in Illinois, but an industry official paints a different picture. State officials celebrated the 40th new manufacturing announcement this year in Illinois, with news that a magnesium casting plant in Dixmoor is expanding, adding 40 jobs. Chicago Magnesium Casting Co.,…
Read Full Article A judge in Effingham County has issued a temporary restraining order against the Illinois State Board of Education and reinstated the recognition status of two public schools that aren’t following the governor’s COVID-19 mask mandate. The case was brought by attorney Thomas DeVore on behalf of Red Hill, Woden-Herrick and Beecher City school districts. While…
Read Full Article Gov. J.B. Pritzker said Monday he’s looking for clear signs that coronavirus transmission is on the decline in Illinois before he’ll consider lifting the indoor mask mandate he reinstated in late August amid a surge driven by the virus’ highly contagious delta variant. “We’re watching to make sure that we’re on a good downward trajectory,” Pritzker said…
Read Full Article SPRINGFIELD – The state’s eviction moratorium expired Sunday, and what comes next for renters will likely depend on their county of residence, as county courts and sheriffs will all have different approaches to executing evictions. The original eviction moratorium was issued in March 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic began shutting down the state and national…
Read Full Article SPRINGFIELD — Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker’s administration on Thursday announced the awarding of the first $24 million in “Back to Business” grants, a program funded with federal relief aid to help businesses recover and reopen from the pandemic. The announcement took place at a Mexican restaurant in the Little Village neighborhood of Chicago, Mi Tierra…
Read Full Article Pump prices for gas and diesel didn’t change much Friday in Missouri, despite being the first day of a 2.5 cents per gallon increase in the state fuel tax. The cheapest gas in the state was $2.49 a gallon in Springfield, according to GasBuddy.com. That was unchanged from earlier in the week. The most expensive, AAA of…
Read Full Article Shawndra Taylor had just 12 hours notice when the first truck canceled. In it, contained food to help prepare the 3,000 meals served each day in her school district in Eldon — including items she needed to make dinner for students. Her supplier, Kohl Wholesale in Quincy, Ill., was too short-staffed. Taylor, the district’s food services…
Read Full Article JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Gov. Mike Parson announced Wednesday the state of Missouri has approved more than $1.8 million in grant assistance to 19 agencies across the state to investigate and prosecute crimes that victimized children. “Criminals who victimize children must be investigated, prosecuted, and brought to justice, no matter when they commit these heinous crimes,”…
Read Full Article SPRINGFIELD – Illinois community colleges have a multi-billion dollar impact on the state’s economy and will be “integral in making a recovery from the pandemic an equitable one,” according a new report from the Northern Illinois University Center for Governmental Studies. The Illinois Community Colleges’ Economic Impacts and Student Employment Outcomes report said the indirect…
Read Full Article Illinois taxpayers are on the hook for nearly double the debt burden of just 12 years ago. That’s according to a new report on the fiscal state of the state. Truth In Accounting (TIA) has been evaluating state governments for how much debt the state has versus how much they bring in. Their Financial State of…
Read Full Article SPRINGFIELD – Gov. JB Pritzker announced Thursday the state will award more than $40 million in workforce training grants, focusing on communities hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic and youth who are particularly at risk of violence. That includes $40 million in Workforce Recovery Grants that will go out in two phases over the next…
Read Full Article With thousands of students quarantined in the first weeks of the new school year, Missouri’s health director said the state is exploring a new strategy that aims to keep kids in class through regular testing. Donald Kauerauf, the new director of the Department of Health and Senior Services, said his agency discussed a new modified…
Read Full Article A new analysis shows Illinois ranks 41st in the country in unemployment recovery, with unemployment down 40 percent from this time last year. The study was done by WalletHub and shows Illinois’ job recovery post-pandemic. The survey was conducted from March 15, 2021, to August 30, 2021, showing a 69 percent decrease in unemployment claims…
Read Full Article Attorney who is fighting governor’s orders calls latest one “nonsense” On top of his most recent 30-day COVID-19 disaster proclamation, Gov. J.B. Pritzker issued his 90th executive order, which is about who can be excluded from schools, such as those with possible exposure to COVID-19. Pritzker on Friday reissued a majority of orders from the past 19 months. On…
Read Full Article SPRINGFIELD – The state’s moratorium on enforcement of residential evictions will expire on Oct. 3, according to Gov. JB Pritzker’s latest COVID-19 executive order issued Friday. Pritzker had extended the order each month with minor to substantial revisions since March 2020. The extensions have come in 30-day windows, coinciding with his monthly reissuance of a disaster proclamation…
Read Full Article Gov. J.B. Pritzker has issued dozens of executive orders since March 2020, affecting everything from the economy to education and healthcare. He started by limiting dine-in restaurants for two weeks to slow the spread of COVID-19. That’s evolved over the past 19 months to mask mandates in schools and vaccine mandates for health care workers,…
Read Full Article Employers warn inaction by state lawmakers could ‘cripple’ businesses and the COVID-19 economic recovery. Illinois state leaders missed the Sept. 6 deadline to repay a $4.2 billion federal loan to the state’s unemployment insurance fund, which leaves Illinois taxpayers on the hook to pay $60 million in annual interest on that loan. The unemployment fund has been depleted during…
Read Full Article SPRINGFIELD — Gov. JB Pritzker was joined by environmental and social justice activists, union representatives, and lawmakers from both parties Wednesday as he signed into law a sweeping energy regulation overhaul that aims to phase out carbon emissions from the energy sector by 2045 while diversifying the renewable energy workforce. His signature marked a celebratory…
Read Full Article Three children in Effingham County can’t be forced to wear masks without an official quarantine order from the county health department, a judge ruled Wednesday. Later in the day, a different judge enjoined an entire school district from requiring masks without a court order. The attorney who brought the cases anticipates more such cases across…
Read Full Article Ask state education board to adopt formal rules on enforcement actions By PETER HANCOCKCapitol News Illinoisphancock@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – Expressing concern that the Illinois State Board of Education might have overstepped its bounds by threatening to withhold funding from school districts that do not enforce its mask mandate, a legislative panel on Tuesday urged the agency…
Read Full Article Senate takes final legislative step on bill creating massive renewable, nuclear investment By JERRY NOWICKICapitol News Illinoisjnowicki@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Senate put the final legislative stamp on an energy regulation overhaul bill Monday, sending it to Gov. JB Pritzker, who says he will sign it. It’s the culmination of years of negotiation, and it…
Read Full Article Missouri Republicans assailed President Joe Biden’s push to require employees of private businesses to get vaccinated against COVID-19 or undergo weekly testing, vowing a legislative response and legal action. Gov. Mike Parson promised to “fight back against federal power grabs and government overreach” in a tweet Thursday afternoon, calling Biden’s plan “an insult to our…
Read Full Article SPRINGFIELD — The Illinois House approved an energy regulation and decarbonization bill Thursday, a major step forward for a wide-ranging omnibus bill that had eluded lawmakers throughout the legislative session and the governor’s three years in office. The measure that aims to bring Illinois’ energy generation sector to 100 percent carbon-free by 2050 and 50…
Read Full Article A new bill would give the Illinois State Board of Education the authority to issue, withhold and revoke state recognition of schools who fail to comply with COVID-19 health regulations. Notably, the bill has not yet been introduced to a committee, meaning beyond being drafted and introduced, there has been no legislative activity on the measure. The…
Read Full Article SPRINGFIELD — The Illinois House is scheduled to return to Springfield Thursday to try again at passing an elusive energy regulation overhaul days after the governor’s office announced support for a new proposal. It’s the latest push for a legislative accomplishment that has eluded Gov. JB Pritzker in his three years in office, and it’s…
Read Full Article After more than 17 months of expanded benefits, federal pandemic unemployment programs are set to end on Labor Day, cutting off weekly payments to 7.5 million people — including 452,000 in Illinois. The sudden expiration of emergency federal assistance, which some economists have likened to a fiscal cliff, could precipitate everything from a flood of…
Read Full Article Closure of municipal coal plants remains sticking point By JERRY NOWICKICapitol News Illinoisjnowicki@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Senate approved an energy bill in the early hours of Wednesday morning but it’s likely to change as negotiations continue in the House, which has not set a date as to when it will return. A lead negotiator…
Read Full Article Latest maps introduced Tuesday morning, passed Tuesday night By PETER HANCOCKCapitol News Illinoisphancock@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – Democrats in the General Assembly pushed through a new set of legislative maps during a one-day special session Tuesday, although the process they used sparked the ire of Republicans and voting rights advocates alike. If accepted by Gov. JB Pritzker,…
Read Full Article A campaign to legalize adult cannabis use in Missouri is emphasizing the use of new revenue to automatically expunge nonviolent cannabis-related criminal records. Legal Missouri 2022, a statewide coalition, filed a ballot initiative with the state last week seeking to legalize recreational marijuana use while expunging criminal records for those with low-level marijuana offenses. Marijuana possession accounted…
Read Full Article In the fall of 2020, I was infuriated to see then-Majority Leader Mitch McConnell rushing to seat Justice Amy Coney Barrett on the Supreme Court just 35 days before the 2020 election. After all, he was the one who refused to even hold hearings on Merrick Garland, a moderate choice by any measure, because the…
Read Full Article New cases from the Delta variant wave that has killed more than 1,150 Missourians since June 1 have plateaued but hospital ICUs continue to fill — and small, rural hospitals are among the hardest hit. There were 690 patients in ICU beds across the state on Tuesday, the most recent day reported by the state Department of Health and Human Services.…
Read Full Article Even though the U.S. Supreme Court has ended the pandemic-related federal moratorium on residential evictions, the Illinois moratorium continues. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention health order had banned evictions nationwide in areas with high COVID-19 transmission rates. “In light of the Supreme Court ruling and the continue risk of COVID-19 transmission, President Biden…
Read Full Article SPRINGFIELD – State. Sen. Jil Tracy (R-Quincy) said Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker is “going it alone” with his pandemic decision-making as he announces more mask and vaccine mandates in light of rising COVID numbers in the state. Tracy wrote on her Facebook page the changes to Illinois’ COVID-19 mitigation plan are just the latest in…
Read Full Article The schools in Gov. Mike Parson’s hometown will continue to require students, teachers and staff to wear masks indoors despite a lawsuit filed by the Missouri attorney general challenging public school mask mandates across the state. The Bolivar R-1 Board of Education in Polk County voted in a special meeting this month to require masks as a…
Read Full Article SPRINGFIELD — Voting rights advocates and minority community members urged Illinois lawmakers on Thursday to take more time in redrawing legislative district maps so the general public can have more time to study whatever new maps will be proposed. “We’re joining other advocates today in asking for more time to provide an efficient analysis of…
Read Full Article State warns of decreasing intensive care bed capacity amid latest surge SPRINGFIELD – The statewide mask mandate indoors is back, and educators and health care professionals will be required to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, Gov. JB Pritzker announced Thursday amid an ongoing surge in the pandemic that first arrived in Illinois in March 2020. Beginning…
Read Full Article 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…
Read Full Article 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…
Read Full Article 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…
Read Full Article 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…
Read Full Article 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…
Read Full Article 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…
Read Full Article 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…
Read Full Article 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,…
Read Full Article 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.…
Read Full Article 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,…
Read Full Article 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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