By Dave Dahl SPRINGFIELD – When Illinois Auditor General Frank Mautino was a state representative, he did not keep his campaign spending records in line with state law. Now the Illinois State Board of Elections has found Mautino’s committee did not knowingly break the law. Campaign committee members had gas and repairs from Happy’s Super…… MORE
By Dave Dahl SPRINGFIELD – Republicans running in the 2022 election have to face this question: how loyal are you to former President Donald Trump? “The answer, I think, comes in two stages,” says University of Illinois political science president Brian Gaines. “Will it be a primary problem or a general election problem. I think…… MORE
A leader in the agricultural industry in Illinois’ says President Biden’s $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill is “a good piece of legislation.”… MORE
By Dave Dahl SPRINGFIELD – University of Illinois Springfield put on its own Veterans Day ceremony, with a flag-raising in a chilly, windy Student Life Plaza. “It’s a moment that is worthy of our attention,” said UIS interim chancellor Karen Whitney. “It’s a moment to appreciate that only through the service of who we honor…… MORE
So Gov. JB Pritzker led an Illinois contingent to England and Scotland, including to the COP26 climate conference in Glasgow.. What did we get out of it?… MORE
By HOI ABC and CNN CHANNAHON – U.S. Representative Adam Kinzinger says he’s considering running for Illinois Governor or U.S. Senator next year, or even president in 2024. Kinzinger is 43 and weighing his political future after announcing last week he’s retiring from the House. However, Kinzinger is one of his party’s most vocal critics…… MORE
By Dave Dahl SPRINGFIELD – Illinois’ economy took a small step back during October. University of Illinois Flash index author Fred Giertz, an economics professor, presents a monthly snapshot of the state’s economic activity. The index slipped from 106.0 to 105.4 from the start of October to the start of November. Giertz sees two reasons.…… MORE
By Dave Dahl SPRINGFIELD – As Veterans Day approaches, Illinois Treasurer Mike Frerichs hopes the talk at your household veers to any military service in the family – and a possible Purple Heart. Frerichs’ office, which maintains a vault of unclaimed property surrendered from old safe deposit boxes and the like, is holding eleven of…… MORE
As if there is a good time to be homeless, another pandemic winter is unlikely to help. … MORE
A Central Illinois Congressman is looking to tackle the student loan crisis through a new student loan tax benefit for employers.… 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…