By ERIN DRUMMMedill Illinois News [email protected] SPRINGFIELD — Intellectual and developmental disability service organizations are bracing for potential cuts to Medicaid and Medicare from the federal government under congressional Republicans and President Donald Trump. About 3.9 million Illinoisans are enrolled in Medicaid. Of that total, 44% of Medicaid recipients are children, 9% are seniors and…… MORE
President Donald Trump’s administration is pulling back $477 million from Illinois that was to be used to prevent infectious disease and treat mental health and substance abuse issues.… MORE
Illinois voters casting ballots in the April 1 consolidated elections will not be required to show proof of U.S. citizenship, despite an executive order issued this week by President Donald Trump.… MORE
I grew up off a gravel road near a town of 60 people, a place where cows outnumber people. … MORE
The Atlantic on Wednesday released the entire Signal chat among senior national security officials, showing that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth provided the exact timings of warplane launches and when bombs would drop — before the men and women flying those attacks against Yemen’s Houthis this month on behalf of the United States were airborne.… MORE
Nearly a century after the Civil Conservation Corps reconstructed the once-thriving village of New Salem where Abraham Lincoln spent his 20s working odd jobs, studying law and winning his first election, the historic site just northwest of Springfield has fallen into disrepair.… MORE
Gov. JB Pritzker issued a rare veto Friday of a bill that would require warehouse workers in Illinois to know quotas they must meet at their jobs.… MORE
Buildings on Illinois’ college campuses were falling apart when lawmakers approved $2.9 billion for higher education construction as part of the 2019 Rebuild Illinois capital plan. The funding brought hope for long-overdue upgrades, but the slow rollout has left colleges in limbo. … MORE
After a major Biden-era executive order mandating the vast majority of federal construction projects use project labor agreements suffered an initial loss in federal court this winter, a new report analyzing the use of these agreements in Illinois is refuting typical criticisms from opponents who claim they unfairly favor unionized labor.… MORE
Voters must put pressure on congressional Republicans to oppose any budget bill that makes major cuts to services, according to U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill.… MORE
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.” …
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…
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…
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…