State Farm’s CEO Michael Tipsord has been named to Gov.-elect JB Pritzker’s transition team.… MORE
Category Archives: State News
Storms tear through Taylorville
By Dave Dahl TAYLORVILLE– There was time for an early morning service, then it was time to work for Rev. Steve Switzer and members Taylorville’s Calvary Baptist Church, helping others clean up from Saturday’s tornado. What’s God’s message here? “I believe He’s here and he’s telling us He wants to help us,” Switzer told…… MORE
Rauner offers helping hand in administration transition
He’s unhappy he lost the election, but Gov. Bruce Rauner says he has incentive to make the transition to the new JB Pritzker administration a positive one.… MORE
Workplace injuries decline in Illinois
On-the-job injuries in Illinois declined 3 percent in 2017 from the previous year, according to a report by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.… MORE
No vote on ride-sharing during veto session
There won’t be a vote on a ride-sharing regulation bill, after all, during the fall veto session.… MORE
Rauner displeased with raise of damage awards
Looking back upon the just-completed fall veto session, Gov. Bruce Rauner is still upset about the override of his amendatory veto to raise the limit on damage awards to plaintiffs who sue the state through the Court of Claims.… MORE
Audit: Illinois gives schools autonomy, sometimes too much
Illinois has 852 public school districts, and according to a firm that audited the state’s education plans, that’s a good thing.… MORE
A busy day in the House
The Illinois House Wednesday went 1-for-2 on overriding the governor’s vetoes of a pair of high-profile bills.… MORE
Lawmaker apologizes after threatening remarks
Wednesday’s Illinois House session began with an apology.… MORE
An expletive filled afternoon in Springfield
A state lawmaker dropped an F-bomb on the House floor Tuesday when a colleague said she wished his family would die.… 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…