By Dave Dahl If your grandparents were adventurous enough to fly, they just may have ridden on a plane which is the main attraction at the Experimental Aircraft Association show in Springfield Thursday through Sunday. It’s the Ford Tri-Motor, built in 1928 and sort of a precursor to the DC-3. Organizer John Salz, president of…… MORE
By HOI ABC SPRINGFIELD – The mother of Jelani Day, the late Illinois State University graduate student, is pleased the bill named for her son is now the law in Illinois. Gov. JB Pritzker has signed legislation requiring local law enforcement notify the FBI within 72 hours after the discovery of a body. Day went…… MORE
By Dave Dahl SPRINGFIELD – Four days after another bad report card for his child welfare agency, Gov. JB Pritzker defended both the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services and its director, Marc Smith. An audit released last week blasted the Department of Children and Family Services for not keeping up on children’s vaccinations,…… MORE
By Dave Dahl SPRINGFIELD – Two former state senators are now awaiting word from the Illinois Supreme Court about their effort to recover pay they say they lost unconstitutionally. Attorney Michael Scotti represents Mike Noland and James Clayborne, he said during oral arguments Wednesday, “in their efforts to rectify the wrongful circumstances created by the…… MORE
In what has turned into a struggling year for farmers, President Joe Biden announced millions of dollars in relief funds during a stop in Kankakee on Wednesday.… MORE
Gov. Pritzker urges Congress to act quickly to protect women’s reproductive rights.… MORE
By Dave Dahl SPRINGFIELD – Arguably, few jobs are more stressful than farming, and the current wet conditions don’t help. “People in agriculture are independent. They don’t like asking for help. They think they can do things on their own,” said State Rep. Tim Butler (R-Springfield). “They need support, they need help, just like the…… MORE
A warm, hazy morning Tuesday greeted those attending the annual firefighters’ memorial ceremony outside the Capitol.… MORE
Both the state and its contractors are working to be more diverse and inclusive. … MORE
A new state law will ensure public high school students are not negatively affected by any outstanding fees.… 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…