By Dave Dahl SPRINGFIELD – The Capitol Complex in Springfield is a giant construction zone. From replacing a parking lot with an underground garage to moving the Senate next door for 2 1/2 years, there’s a lot going on. And the Capitol architect, Andrea Aggertt, says it’s costing more than anticipated, but she sounds neither…… MORE
Rodney Davis knows something about gun crimes. The Republican Congressman from Taylorville was at a baseball practice near Washington in 2017, when a gunman fired at the players, wounding U.S. Rep. Steve Scalise (R-La.).… MORE
By Dave Dahl SPRINGFIELD – For two hours Thursday morning, Springfield drivers at one gas station took a trip back in time. Gasoline was $2.38 a gallon, courtesy of Americans for Prosperity. That price, says AFP Illinois director Jason Heffley, is significant because that’s how much it cost the day President Biden was sworn into…… MORE
By Dave Dahl SPRINGFIELD – During a nationwide reckoning over racism and slavery among our Founding Fathers and other historical figures’ racism and connections to slavery, the state removed statues of Pierre Menard and Sen. Stephen Douglas from the east lawn of the Capitol. So the chair of the Illinois House Statues and Monuments Task…… MORE
By Dave Dahl SPRINGFIELD – The “Little Giant” has a big cheerleader who wants the Stephen Douglas statue returned to the Capitol lawn. Reg Ankrom of Quincy is two thirds of the way through writing a trilogy biography of Douglas and has a spirited defense at the ready: “Douglas did not own slaves.” Ankrom notes…… MORE
By USDA SPRINGFIELD – There were 4.6 days suitable for field work during the week ending May 22, 2022. Statewide, the average temperature was 66.1 degrees, 1.0 degrees above normal. Precipitation averaged 1.40 inches, 0.51 inches above normal. Topsoil moisture supply was rated 7 percent short, 70 percent adequate, and 23 percent surplus. Subsoil moisture…… MORE
We’re getting used to working and doing other business remotely, and medical care is no exception. … MORE
By Dave Dahl SPRINGFIELD – Despite some rain, Springfield’s LGBTQIA+ community – and its allies – turned out for Pridefest, the first one in person since the pandemic. Entertainment, food trucks, and booths from businesses and organizations filled the blocks just east of the Capitol Saturday. One of the organizers, Dean Mentjes, described the experience…… MORE
A little sticker carries a big penalty – 500 dollars per day – if gas stations don’t put them on the pump. The gas stations are now suing the state. … MORE
A University of Illinois expert in securities law and cross-border transactions says sanctions against Russia are not guaranteed to be effective. … 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…