By Dave Dahl SPRINGFIELD – The people addressing the homeless situation these days are throwing around the phrase “functional zero.” “When we say, ‘end homelessness,’ that really means that we have a system that when people come into a homelessness situation, there is a resource for them on the other side and that we are…… MORE
By IIS Radio SPRINGFIELD – County estimates are out for 2022 Illinois corn and soybeans. The state really made a strong showing when it came to soybean production says crop statistician Mark Schleusener. “McLean County ranked first in the U.S. with 21.2 million bushels,” said Schleusener. “Other high soybean producing counties in Illinois include Iroquois,…… MORE
By Dave Dahl SPRINGFIELD – You may not be able to get a good job if you don’t have access to quality child care. That’s the gist of a report from the Council for a Strong America, made up of Fight Crime: Invest in Kids, Mission: Readiness, and ReadyNation. “Success in hiring and retention across…… MORE
By Dave Dahl SPRINGFIELD – The state quit giving municipalities a ten-percent slice of the state income tax a number of years ago. And the cities, towns, and villages of Illinois have not stopped asking for it back. Restoration of the Local Government Distributive Fund – LGDF – again tops the list of priorities the…… MORE
By Dave Dahl SPRINGFIELD – Gov. JB Pritzker – as of Feb. 16 – sounds as if he is ready to give up on the Choate Mental Health and Developmental Center in Anna. “If we can’t take care of the problems, if the problems can’t be fully addressed, then we ought to close it down,”…… MORE
By Dave Dahl SPRINGFIELD – Ah, that unspoken contract among the server, the diner, and the restaurateur – the twenty percent tip. “Even though the workers have a subminimum hourly rate, the tips are supposed to make up for that. But that doesn’t always happen,” said the sponsor, State Sen, Cristina Pacione-Zayas (D-Chicago). “This legislation is…… MORE
By Dave Dahl SPRINGFIELD – Some statehouse Republicans – members of the “Illinois Freedom Caucus” – say Illinois public education offers little result, especially for all the money spent. “When only 30 percent of the kids can read at grade level,” said State Rep. Brad Halbrook (R-Shelbyville), “and barely 25 percent can do math at…… MORE
By Dave Dahl SPRINGFIELD – If you have college-bound kids, you might urge them to major in engineering. There is a critical shortage, according to P.J. Fitzgerald, chairman of the American Council of Engineering Companies of Illinois. “The current demand for skilled engineers and thousands of engineering positions here in Illinois will remain unfilled if…… MORE
By Dave Dahl SPRINGFIELD – In the year 2023, you may be taking reliable, high-speed Internet for granted. But it’s still not available in some parts of Illinois. That’s where the Illinois Broadband Lab comes in, as a creation of state agencies and universities. University of Illinois associate vice president Jeannette Tamayo says the numbers…… MORE
By Dave Dahl SPRINGFIELD – Rookie U.S. Rep. Nikki Budzinski (D-Springfield) was in her district Tuesday to convene an agriculture roundtable. Budzinski said she learned a lot. “What we were able to pull together with our agricultural advisory council is an eclectic group of voices, all people who touch the agricultural space. Agriculture is critically…… 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…