By Dave Dahl SPRINGFIELD – A rising awareness that behavioral health has less of a stigma means treatment professionals are in demand. And there’s a shortage. Enter the Behavioral Health Workforce Center, unveiled Wednesday. The center will be headquartered at Southern Illinois University School of Medicine in Springfield. “We cannot understate the work that has…… MORE
By Dave Dahl SPRINGFIELD – As those interested in the assault weapons ban await word from the Illinois Supreme Court on its constitutionality, State Rep. Patrick Windhorst (R-Metropolis) says that bill was rushed through the General Assembly. “From the start of the first hearing on the bill until the governor’s signature was approximately 41 days,”…… MORE
By Dave Dahl SPRINGFIELD – A state residential facility in far southern Illinois – rocked by reports of nightmarish conditions for people who live there – now has the Pritzker administration’s full attention. Following up on the announcement that half of the Choate Mental Health Center’s population is being shipped out, Gov. JB Pritzker blamed…… MORE
By Dave Dahl SPRINGFIELD – The right to kick out problem guests – when they verbally abuse staff – is one Illinois hotels do not legally enjoy. Michael Jacobson, president and CEO of the Illinois Hotel and Lodging Association, wants to change that. “These are the dedicated employees who make you feel at home when…… MORE
By Dave Dahl SPRINGFIELD – Springfield is the “Home of Lincoln,” but – perhaps more importantly – it may also be the birthplace of the Pillsbury Doughboy. Chris Richmond heads a nonprofit which is raising money to demolish a long-abandoned Pillsbury plant in town and says they discovered what is undoubtedly an early version of…… MORE
By Dave Dahl SPRINGFIELD – Testing for graduate school or a professional license can be intimidating, especially if you do not have the proper preparation. “When we think about exam prep, this is thought of in many ways by many people as a barrier to opportunity,” said Brandon Busteed, of the education service provider Kaplan.…… MORE
By Dave Dahl SPRINGFIELD – Decades after forming its own trade association, Illinois wine is largely still a hidden gem. “Oh no, “ says Lisa Ellis, executive director of the Illinois Grape Growers and Vintners Alliance, meeting in Springfield. “Our producers are small, without those massive budgets and major distribution channels, So we continue to…… MORE
By Dave Dahl SPRINGFIELD – Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza is proud of the state’s rainy day fund, but she wants a commitment to regularly put money into it. “Under current law, the fund is supposed to receive annual deposits when state revenue estimates grow by more than four percent,” Mendoza told a House committee. “However,…… MORE
By Dave Dahl SPRINGFIELD – Wednesday was a beautiful day to be outdoors, and that was fitting for Gov. JB Pritzker’s announcement of $60 million in parks grants statewide. The money comes from a program called OSLAD – Open Space Lands Acquisition and Development. Some of the money will go to disadvantaged areas. “This means…… MORE
By Dave Dahl SPRINGFIELD – Illinois House Speaker Chris Welch (D-Hillside) says it’s important for the legislature to maintain a relationship with the White House, so he was only too happy to participate Monday in a roundtable with members of the Biden administration and other Black statehouse speakers. The speakers in Illinois, New York, Maine,…… 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…