Almost fifty years ago, then-President Gerald Ford had “Whip Inflation Now” buttons. Maybe they should come back.… MORE
Category Archives: Politics
IDOC informs state lawmakers about their plans to downsize Pontiac and Vandalia prisons
The Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC) is informing lawmakers about their plans to downsize the Pontiac and Vandalia Correctional Centers.… MORE
Sen. Durbin: More can be done to support Ukraine
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is addressing Congress after the Senate approved a massive spending package that sends $13.6 billion in emergency aid to Ukraine.… MORE
Filing for the June primary is over
By Dave Dahl SPRINGFIELD – Candidates who believe being last on the list on the ballot give them an edge showed up for the final hour of filing Monday at the Illinois State Board of Elections in Springfield. Despite a lack of evidence that ballot position matters, it’s custom for candidates to line up early…… MORE
Bloomington City Council addresses deadly violence at home and abroad
By HOI ABC BLOOMINGTON – A war on foreign soil and deadly violence at home were addressed Monday night by Bloomington City Council members. The city’s mayor said he wants the community’s Russian sister city relationship to continue, while an alderwoman is renewing her pushing for a special commission to study gun violence. At Monday…… MORE
Native Americans in northern Illinois want their land back
By Dave Dahl SPRINGFIELD – Native Americans in northern Illinois want their land back. “In 1849, my fourth great-grandfather, Chief Shab-eh-nay, traveled to Kansas to visit the relatives after we were removed,” Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation chairman Joseph Rupnick told a statehouse news conference. “The U.S. government illegally auctioned off 1,280 acres of his land,…… MORE
Durbin: Earmarks are a good thing
The new federal budget, passed Thursday, includes “member initiatives,” also known as “earmarks.”… MORE
State lawmakers want higher salaries for people who help the disabled
By Dave Dahl SPRINGFIELD – Some of Illinois’ home healthcare workers say they are overdue for a raise. Direct support personnel (DSP’s) who work in the homes of the disabled want another $3.50 per hour. “As a former healthcare worker,” State Rep. Lakesia Collins (D-Chicago) said at a statehouse news conference Wednesday, “I know exactly…… MORE
Former Illinois House Speaker pleads not guilty in the first court hearing
Michael Madigan and longtime colleague Michael McClain pled not guilty in arraignment hearings over the phone Wednesday.… MORE
House Republicans say it’s past time for Illinois to stand up for Ukraine
By Dave Dahl SPRINGFIELD – Republicans in the Illinois House say they want to respond to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Citing a large Ukrainian population in the state, Minority Leader Jim Durkin (R-Western Springs) says the state must get involved. “Our role,” Durkin told a statehouse news conference Tuesday, “is to restrict Russia’s interest…… 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…