Two pandemic years of missed family events and sleepless nights are enough for Dr. Ngozi Ezike.… MORE
Category Archives: State News
Gov. Pritzker says Illinois’ finances are coming out strong out of the pandemic
Members of Congress got the Illinois story Tuesday morning from Gov. JB Pritzker.… MORE
Mask mandate lifted in Illinois
By IIS Radio CHICAGO – Gov. JB Pritzker celebrated the end of the state’s mask mandate with a stop by Navy Pier in Chicago on Monday. Masks are no longer required in stores, bars, restaurants, daycares and schools. It’s a great feeling says Pritzker. “And it’s all because the people of Illinois did the right…… MORE
Governor speaks at Chicago peace rally for Ukraine
By IIS Radio CHICAGO – Gov. JB Pritzker and other elected officials joined a Chicago rally in support of Ukraine on Sunday. The governor presented a message of solidarity for the country currently under attack. Pritzker’s great-grandfather left Kyiv, Ukraine for Chicago in 1881. WJBC News can be reached at [email protected]… MORE
Karr: Shopping malls are making a transition to other uses
By Dave Dahl SPRINGFIELD – The shopping mall – retail destination of the seventies and eighties – is entering a new chapter. Rob Karr, president of the Illinois Retail Merchants Association, likes to say retail’s nimble. But what’s less nimble than a gigantic, largely empty mall? “If you think of it as only purposed for…… MORE
BGA developing report supported by Republicans surrounding Gov.Pritzker
By Dave Dahl SPRINGFIELD-Republicans can’t resist a new hit on Gov. JB Pritzker. The governor, a billionaire, has handed over his assets to a blind trust, as was the case with his wealthy predecessor, Bruce Rauner. A Better Government Association report says the Pritzker trust invested in Centene, a major Medicaid contractor. If true, it’s…… MORE
Illinois House Democrats review the week at the Capitol
By Dave Dahl SPRINGFIELD – During a review of the week at the state Capitol, House Majority Leader Greg Harris (D-Chicago) said the budgeting process would include working with Republicans, specifically with the GOP’s House “budgeteer,” State Rep. Tom Demmer (R-Dixon). As a lack of bipartisanship has been a standing complaint of the superminority Republicans,…… MORE
Raoul announces final approval of $26 billion national opioid settlement agreement
By IIS Radio CHICAGO – Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul is announcing final approval of the national $26 billion opioid settlement agreement. Illinois’ share is $760 million, with the money going out to state and local governments covered by the deal during the second quarter of this year. Raoul says the funds will be used…… MORE
Senate Republicans propose legislation to empower parents of schoolchildren
By Dave Dahl SPRINGFIELD – Education bureaucracy has left parents behind, say Illinois Senate Republicans who want kids’ moms and dads to have more of a voice in what happens in the classroom. But they would not provide an example of a subject they didn’t want taught to their kids and instead presented their ideas…… MORE
Illinois lawmaker can’t stay quiet any longer about the wrongfully accused
By Dave Dahl SPRINGFIELD – A Black teenager from Waukegan – Martell Williams, 15 – was reportedly detained for two days after police allegedly squeezed a false confession out of him for a shooting. The story is that officers bribed him with food from McDonald’s. And it led to a lengthy speech Wednesday on the…… MORE
Blogs
Labor Day – Expanding voting rights for all
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.” …
Is federal mobilization the answer?
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…
In these troubled times, to my fellow white Americans
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…
Workers’ Memorial Day – Remember those whose job took their life
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…