Illinois Department of Public Health Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike on Tuesday received her first dose of the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine.… MORE
Category Archives: State News
State health officials report 6,642 new COVID cases, 117 additional deaths
Another 117 Illinois residents have died from COVID-19 complications and state health officials Tuesday reported 6,642 new cases.… MORE
Busy day for any Illinois House Democrat who wants to be speaker
The Black Caucus of the Illinois House of Representatives has chosen Rep. Chris Welch (D-Hillside) as its candidate for speaker.… MORE
IDVA director steps down
With 36 coronavirus-related deaths at one veterans’ home on her watch, Monday was the end for Illinois Department of Veterans’ Affairs director Linda Chapa LaVia.… MORE
State health officials announce 4,776 new cases of coronavirus
The Illinois Department of Public Health Monday reported 4,776 new confirmed and probable cases of coronavirus and 53 additional deaths.… MORE
Madigan suspends campaign for Speaker
Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan (D-Chicago) released a statement Monday and said he has suspended his campaign for Speaker.… MORE
Illinois lawmaker faints during House session
Southern Illinois lawmaker Darren Bailey, a House Republican who later this week will join the Senate, fainted during the House session Sunday at the Bank of Springfield Center in Springfield.… MORE
First vote for speaker today
Illinois House Democrats will start voting in Sunday, as House Speaker Mike Madigan is in danger of missing out on a nineteenth term.… MORE
IDPH reports 9,277 new cases of coronavirus
The Illinois Department of Public Health Friday reported 9,277 new confirmed and probable cases of coronavirus and126 additional deaths.… MORE
IDES complaints continue
Illinois House Republicans are again lighting into the state’s unemployment system. Delays, fraud, and a short staff are among the problems at the Illinois Department of Employment Security, and State Rep. Jeff Keicher (R-Sycamore) is not here for it. He says it starts at the top.… 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…