The Republican leader in the Illinois Senate, Bill Brady of Bloomington, said on Wednesday he’s opposed to the idea forwarded by Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker to legalize marijuana.… MORE
![Area lawmakers differ from Pritzker on marijuana, tax plans, pensions](https://www.wjbc.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/389/2015/05/BillBradySenateFloor630x420-125x125.jpg)
The Republican leader in the Illinois Senate, Bill Brady of Bloomington, said on Wednesday he’s opposed to the idea forwarded by Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker to legalize marijuana.… MORE
If you thought the minimum wage bill passed in a hurry, Gov. JB Pritzker says there’s more where that came from.… MORE
After Gov. J.B. Pritzker gives his budget speech at noon today, you can be sure someone will accuse him of kicking the pension can down the road.… MORE
The bill that will raise minimum wage in Illinois to $15 was signed Tuesday by the governor.… MORE
A Springfield gathering Monday honored Presidents’ Day, particularly the two who spent the most time in Springfield: Abraham Lincoln and Barack Obama.… MORE
We tell our kids that No means No. But Illinois could mandate teachers to include “consent” in a sex education curriculum.… MORE
With the governor and lieutenant governor on the House floor, and activists cheering from the gallery, the Illinois House followed the Senate’s lead and passed the minimum wage increase.… MORE
Another day, another discussion about changing the way Illinois draws its legislate districts. All nineteen Illinois Senate Republicans are on hand for this.… MORE
The international news agency Reuters reported Tuesday that Amazon and General Motors are in talks to invest in Rivian Automotive in a deal that would value the U.S. electric pickup truck manufacturer, with a factory in Normal, at between $1 billion and $2 billion.… MORE
The state budget speech next week was not far from Gov. JB Pritzker’s mind when he spoke at Tuesday’s American Legion commemoration of Abraham Lincoln’s birthday at the Lincoln Tomb in Springfield’s Oak Ridge Cemetery.… 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…