Almost a quarter of the way into the 21st Century, women are still at a disadvantage.… MORE
Category Archives: Politics
Candidate filing for next year’s election is now closed
The jockeying for ballot position – top, bottom, in between – is over, now that the 2024 candidates for office in Illinois have filed their petition signatures.… MORE
Central Illinois Congressman taking a ‘wait and see’ approach before voting on new Middle East funding
A Central Illinois lawmaker wants to include funding for the nation’s border with Mexico in a new military aid package for the Middle East. … MORE
Rep. LaHood set to vote to expel Rep. Santos
A House Republican is in hot water for alleged misuse of campaign funds, and a Central Illinois lawmaker wants to remove him from office.… MORE
Congress averts government shutdown
Once again, the nation averts a government shutdown.… MORE
Top Democrats in Illinois General Assembly share how to navigate politics
The men atop the two chambers of the Illinois General Assembly have some ideas on how to navigate politics.… MORE
Fall veto session recap from Springfield
The fall veto session has come and gone in Springfield with only one major accomplishment: allowing construction of nuclear power plants after a 36-year moratorium.… MORE
State legislature could lift a moratorium on building new nuclear plants
The Illinois legislature could have something to show for the 2023 fall veto session: allowing new nuclear power facilities again after a 36-year moratorium. … MORE
State lawmaker sponsoring bill for schools to have kosher and halal foods available
A bill outlining how kosher and halal can be used in schools is too easy to inadvertently violate, some lawmakers say.… MORE
Durbin: Finalizing budget must be bipartisan
U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) expressed hope that future federal budget discussions will be bipartisan, even after the House vote that removed California representative Kevin McCarthy from the speakership. … MORE
Blogs
Labor Day – Expanding voting rights for all
By Mike Matejka Because of COVID, there is no Labor Day Parade this year. It’s always a great event for our everyday workers to march proudly down the street and enjoys the festive crowd. If there had been a parade, this year’s Labor Day theme was to be “150 years of struggle: your right to vote.” …
Is federal mobilization the answer?
By Mike Matejka As President Donald Trump threatens to send federal marshals into Chicago, over the objections of Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, recall another Illinois Governor who protested the incursion of armed federal personnel into the city. Those federal troops, rather than calming, escalated the situation, leading to deaths and violence. Illinois poet Vachel Lindsay…
In these troubled times, to my fellow white Americans
By Mike Matejka Our nation is at a unique watershed in human relations. African-Americans have been killed too many times in the past before George Floyd, but the response to this man’s death is international and all-encompassing. I was a grade-schooler during the Civil Rights 1960s. I watched Birmingham demonstrators hosed and the Selma – Montgomery…
Workers’ Memorial Day – Remember those whose job took their life
Looking around our community, when we say employer, most will respond to State Farm, Country, or Illinois State University. We too often forget those who are building our roads, serving our food, or our public employees. COVID-19 has made us more aware of the risk. Going to work every day for some people means…