Illinois state pensioners looking to get more control of their retirement will soon have that option with several pension buyout plans passed by the legislature and enacted by the governor for the coming fiscal year.… MORE
Illinois state pensioners looking to get more control of their retirement will soon have that option with several pension buyout plans passed by the legislature and enacted by the governor for the coming fiscal year.… MORE
State Senator Jason Barickman says congratulations are not yet in order for state lawmakers just because they passed a budget.… MORE
The top aide to Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan has resigned amid sexual harassment allegations. … MORE
The budget that passed last week spends $38.5 billion of state money. Only $15 million of that may be for backlogged bills, if there’s any reserve at all.… MORE
Gov. Bruce Rauner announced Tuesday that retired Brig. Gen. Stephen Curda will start immediately as the new director of the Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs.… MORE
Students who get a Monetary Award Program grant this fall will have more security, although the state program will likely have far more students who apply for the grants than there is money to fund them.… MORE
Now that the state has a budget and lawmakers have left Springfield for their districts for the summer, the floodgates of legislation that cleared both chambers this year will soon hit Gov. Bruce Rauner’s desk. … MORE
Senate Minority Leader Bill Brady said the new state budget is not perfect, but it is a sign of compromise between the two major parties.… MORE
If a pilot program at the Illinois Department of Public Health is successful, infants could soon be commonplace in state government offices.… MORE
State Police have released the result of the Memorial Day weekend enforcement campaign.… 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…