By Dave Dahl SPRINGFIELD – When senators convened a hearing into the nursing shortage, one of the witnesses showed up in black scrubs. Paul Pater, treasurer of the Illinois Nurses Association and a nurse at UI Health, said the black was not only for the two colleagues he lost in the early days of covid,…… MORE
By Dave Dahl SPRINGFIELD – A bill to regulate how DCFS workers may use pepper spray is on its way to the governor, but not before some debate. Invoking a society-wide bias against Blacks, State Rep. Carol Ammons (D-Urbana) called it a Band-Aid. “This bill does not solve any problems of the Department of Children…… MORE
By Dave Dahl SPRINGFIELD – With four days to go in the session, House and Senate Democrats now have some bills which would make it easier to be a cop. A reporter noted that the presentation featured an all-white cast. What progress is the cop community making to earn the trust of the Black community?…… MORE
By Dave Dahl SPRINGFIELD – Five days remain in the 2022 spring legislative session in Springfield. Lawmakers want time to campaign for the June 28 primary, later this year because of the delayed Census numbers. The main piece of business is to craft a budget, which State Rep. Tim Butler (R-Springfield) says seems to have…… MORE
By Dave Dahl SPRINGFIELD – It’s not even Easter yet, but an Illinois Senate Democratic proposal looks like Santa’s big bag, and practically all Illinoisans have been good. “The beauty of the plan is that the package benefits taxpayers. The earned income tax credit is a permanent increase,” State Sen. Elgie Sims (D-Chicago) told a…… MORE
By Dave Dahl SPRINGFIELD – A bittersweet backdrop – the recent deaths of two Black transgender Chicago women – accompanied State Sen. Mike Simmons (D-Chicago) as he commemorated Transgender Day of Visibility at the Capitol Thursday. “In my role as Illinois’ first openly gay senator,” Simmons told a statehouse news conference, “I want to make…… MORE
By Dave Dahl SPRINGFIELD – For those paying attention to political commercials on television, State Sen. Sue Rezin (R-Morris) has a message for you: “We’re here today to discuss Gov. (JB) Pritzker’s meddling and blatant attempt to hijack the Republican primary by having his allies at the Democrat(ic) Governors Association run false ads on Richard…… MORE
By Dave Dahl SPRINGFIELD – In a case which should have the attention of medical providers and insurers all over Illinois, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois and Springfield Clinic have let their affiliations with one another expire. Lawmakers in the Illinois House Wednesday evening quizzed executives from both organizations. “I’m not so sure what…… MORE
Illinois House Minority Leader Jim Durkin (R-Western Springs) is the latest Republican to throw rocks at Gov. JB Pritzker over the appointees to – and the decisions of – the Prisoner Review Board. The board’s membership fell below a quorum when so many of Pritzker’s appointees, serving pending Senate confirmation, failed to get that confirmation.… MORE
By Dave Dahl SPRINGFIELD – The untraceable “ghost gun” could soon be illegal in Illinois. These guns are built from a kit or 3D printed and have no serial number. State Rep. Kam Buckner (D-Chicago) says his proposal would allow owners to convert these guns by assigning them serial numbers. Otherwise, they’d be outlawed. Buckner…… 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…