A fourth person from Illinois who had recently been hospitalized with a lung injury associated with the use of e-cigarette or vaping products has died, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health.… MORE
![IDPH reports fourth death related to vaping](https://cdn.socast.io/6616/sites/389/2019/09/13111127/Vaping.jpg#aqua_resizer_image_not_local)
A fourth person from Illinois who had recently been hospitalized with a lung injury associated with the use of e-cigarette or vaping products has died, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health.… MORE
The Senate passed a pension consolidation bill one day after the House did so.… MORE
A day after Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot visited Springfield, lawmakers got to work on re-opening a casino bill which was signed into law in the spring.… MORE
Leaders from both sides of the aisle have called for more stringent ethics rules amid federal corruption probes involving state lawmakers, but it remained unclear what, if any, reform proposals would be tackled before legislators leave for the week.… MORE
An 88-member task force missed a key deadline to deliver a report on how to reduce the state’s high property taxes, all but guaranteeing none of the group’s recommendations will be signed into law this year. … MORE
A farmer from McLean County has been recognized statewide for helping others learn about agriculture.… MORE
A Bloomington City Council member believes people might not have safe places to legally smoke marijuana if government leaders ban consumption in areas where pot might be sold.… MORE
Proposed legislation in both the Illinois House and Senate would make daylight saving time the year-round standard in Illinois.… MORE
Illinois Republicans in the House want to use the ongoing federal investigations involving state lawmakers to push for a handful of new ethics proposals. … MORE
Illinois lawmakers aren’t interested in helping Chicago officials raise taxes, but some are willing to negotiate.… 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…