The state budget Illinois that was enacted Sunday is the largest spending plan in state history, but it has plenty of critics who have questioned the state’s priorities.… MORE
![Budget highlights state’s spending priorities](https://www.wjbc.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/389/2017/03/Illinois-Capitol2-630x420-125x125.jpg)
The state budget Illinois that was enacted Sunday is the largest spending plan in state history, but it has plenty of critics who have questioned the state’s priorities.… MORE
The latest plan to ease Illinois’ teacher shortage aims to make it easier for out-of-state and retired teachers to get into Illinois classrooms.… MORE
For the second consecutive year, an annual report has named a town in southern Illinois as the “poorest” in America.… MORE
Illinois’ 200th birthday party will be held December 3, at the United Center in Chicago.… MORE
A leading Republican in the General Assembly has filed a bill to put a sunset on Illinois’ property tax laws. All of them.… MORE
State Rep. Dan Brady says he’s not sure which of the major candidates for governor will be affected by the entry of a third party nominee into the race.… MORE
The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday ended the practice of forcing public sector workers to pay union fees as a condition of employment.
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Monday was the deadline for third-party candidates for statewide and statehouse offices to file nominating petition signatures.… MORE
A new study put Illinois near the bottom in ranking of state economies.… MORE
Plans for a $500 million Chicago-based research center that will be the centerpiece of a statewide network of research hubs is moving forward.… 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…