When Illinois named small farmer Nathan Ryder a finalist for a federal $100,000 Local Food Infrastructure Grant, he made big plans for his farm in the southeastern tip of the state. Then the U.S. Department of Agriculture cut his funding.… MORE
Category Archives: State News
Social Security rescinding its plan to end phone-based filing called a win for Illinois seniors
The Illinois chapter of AARP played a role in the Trump administration reversing itself and allowing Social Security beneficiaries to have the option of filing for benefits over the phone. … MORE
Legislature kills bill that would have expanded resentencing for youth offenders
The Illinois House shot down legislation Thursday that would have allowed some people incarcerated for crimes they committed when they were under 21 to become eligible for release.… MORE
FBI mole told Sen. Emil Jones III to suggest ‘creative’ way to accept $5K lest it ‘look goofy’
By the time FBI agents came knocking at Omar Maani’s door on a January morning in 2018, the red-light camera entrepreneur had spent at least the last decade and a half getting ahead in business by bribing public officials.… MORE
Senate OKs police hiring reform, Sangamon County recall in response to Sonya Massey’s death
The Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office came under intense scrutiny after an unarmed Black woman was shot and killed by a deputy in her Springfield home in July 2024. … MORE
‘Chilling silence’: Waves of Illinois’ international university students lose their visas
The federal government has revoked the visas of some international students studying at universities across Illinois, but college administrators are sharing few details, including how many students have been impacted. … MORE
Supreme Court rules House Republicans waited too long to challenge maps
Illinois House Republicans waited too long to file a lawsuit challenging legislative maps drawn in 2021, the Illinois Supreme Court ruled Wednesday.… MORE
At Jones trial, jury hears lawmaker bringing colleague into fold of ‘personal benefits’
On a warm Tuesday evening in late June 2019, state Sen. Emil Jones III walked out onto the patio at a suburban steakhouse and into an hourslong dinner that would set the table for alleged bribes — and subsequent federal corruption charges.… MORE
Lawmakers seek ways to prevent data centers from straining Illinois’ power grids
By LEONARDO PINIMedill Illinois News [email protected] SPRINGFIELD — Illinois has been at the forefront of the data center boom, but state lawmakers are working to gauge and mitigate the impact these centers have on climate and energy consumption. In the last two decades, data centers have multiplied due to increased demand for cloud computing, information…… MORE
Amid global tariff war, Pritzker vows to be ‘stable’ trading partner with United Kingdom
Gov. JB Pritzker vowed Tuesday that Illinois will remain a “stable” trading partner with nations around the world, despite President Donald Trump’s imposition of tariffs that have disrupted global markets.… 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…