The Capitol dome echoed with chants of “We are the 99 percent,” “Whose money? Our money” and “Tax the rich.” Every so often, a hush fell over the crowd as they raised their fists in solidarity. That was the scene last week as protesters swarmed the Statehouse to protest Gov. Bruce Rauner’s proposed budget cuts. […]
Alan Kozeluh
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Ward 2 candidates support residency requirement
Candidates for alderman in Springfield’s Ward 2 say they would fight for a residency requirement and to make sure their ward gets a fair share of money from video gambling. The two candidates survived a six-way primary in February and now face off in the April 7 general election. Springfield NAACP president Teresa Haley and […]
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Researching reefer
PHOTO BY Paul Kitagaki Jr./TNS As Illinois implements its long-awaited medical marijuana program, one state lawmaker is preparing for the next step: taxing and regulating recreational marijuana. Rep. Robyn Gabel, D-Evanston, sponsors House Bill 2750, which would direct the Illinois Sentencing Policy Advisory Council (SPAC) to study the potential effects of taxing and regulating marijuana […]
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Modern family
The patchwork quilt that is Illinois family and divorce law is getting restitched for the first time in nearly 40 years, with potential changes for divorce and child custody cases. The Illinois Family Law Study Committee, a legislative advisory group created to make recommendations for updating the state’s marriage law, is proposing a handful of […]
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A watchdog now holds the leash
John Maki Gov. Bruce Rauner wants to reduce Illinois’ use of incarceration. His commitment to prison and sentencing reform is evident in the person he hired to crunch the numbers. Until recently, John Maki served as the executive director of the John Howard Association (JHA), a Chicago-based watchdog group focusing on prison reform in Illinois. […]
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Lawmakers target golden parachutes
Illinois House Republicans are fuming at a lucrative severance deal between the College of DuPage and its outgoing president. In response, they’re filing legislation to make sure it doesn’t happen again elsewhere in the state. In January, the board of trustees for the College of DuPage in the Chicago suburb of Glen Ellyn voted to […]
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Businesses meet in Springfield on environmental issues
Maldaner’s owner and chef Michael Higgins showed off his rooftop garden and solar panels last summer. PHOTO BY DAVID HINE Climate change is bad for business, according to concerned business owners who met in Springfield last week. Washington, D.C.-based Business Forward hosted a meeting of Springfield business leaders and state lawmakers on Feb. 5 to […]
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Rauner butts heads with unions
PHOTO BY Nancy Stone/Chicago Tribune/TNS Gov. Bruce Rauner is pushing a controversial labor policy aimed at unions, but it’s unlikely the state legislature will adopt his idea. Instead, he said it should be up to cities and counties to take action. Ahead of his first State of the State Address on Feb. 4, Rauner toured […]
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Illinois poverty at dangerous level
Sangamon County is one of 42 Illinois counties put on a poverty watch list in a report released by the Social Impact Research Center Jan. 29. The center, part of the Chicago-based anti-poverty group Heartland Alliance, has been publishing reports on poverty in Illinois since 2001. This year’s edition, “Poor by Comparison,” looks at Illinois […]
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Statehouse hot topics
For the first time in a more than a decade, the governor’s office and the Illinois General Assembly are controlled by two different parties, which will make for an exciting and entertaining legislative session. There is no shortage of contentious issues for the legislature to take up. Here are a few bills to watch. PolicingCriminal […]
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Sweet defeat
Trembling, I sat in my car outside a pharmacy. I struggled internally over whether to go inside. I walked in, picked up an item, set it on the counter and waited impatiently for the clerk to come around. The item: a candy bar. I am a sugar addict. Numerous studies have shown that sugar affects […]
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Small-scale fracking
Illinois has yet to issue permits for high-volume hydraulic fracturing, but at least one well has been “fracked” since a new law began regulating the practice. However, one industry expert says low oil prices may slow new high-volume fracking activity. According to documents obtained by Illinois Times, an oil well in Wayne County was fracked […]
