State policymakers are looking at ways to help stem Illinois’ population loss.… MORE
State policymakers are looking at ways to help stem Illinois’ population loss.… MORE
Illinois’ capital city Springfield became the first of the state’s local governments to approve a public cannabis consumption lounge, something a statewide cannabis business association said could pave the way for other venues throughout the state.… MORE
May I be excused? I have to go vote.… MORE
An Illinois business leader says a drive by Big Labor – to do away with “right to work” once and for all – may sputter out. … MORE
Illinois Republicans want to suspend the state’s automatic voter registration program until a programming error that added more than 500 people who indicated they weren’t U.S. citizens to vote rolls is fully investigated and corrected.… MORE
Although funding ratios for three of the state’s five public sector pension funds increased, a public finance watchdog said Illinois taxpayers still face a debt crisis.… MORE
An Illinois lawmaker wants to realign Illinois’ tax on inheritance to federal thresholds, something long sought by family farmers. … MORE
High school students old enough to vote are now entitled to up to two hours away from class to cast a ballot – even during early voting.… MORE
Illinois’ economy grew in the third quarter of 2019, but at a slower pace than the national average, something the state’s leading manufacturers’ group said was due in part to the state’s business and tax policies.… MORE
The Illinois Supreme court could decide if police officers can use the smell of marijuana as probable cause to search a vehicle during a traffic stop.… 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…