Logan Bricker

SkillsUSA, a national nonprofit trade organization, is expanding its presence in Illinois thanks to a recent $2 million state budget reauthorization for trades programs. It allows the organization to further bridge the gap between high school education and skilled trade employment.  This increase in state funding for programs like the Illinois Works Program and other […]

Anticipating the July 6 one-year anniversary of Sonya Massey’s death, the Massey Commission met Monday, June 16, to discuss memorial initiatives and further reform efforts in the form of community policing changes and recovery-focused support. The commission began by proposing memorial initiatives, which include wearing purple clothing throughout July and planting purple flowers in remembrance […]

An immigrant advocacy organization that recently opened a Springfield office is celebrating its expansion of services with a public event June 12.  The Immigration Project, which provides legal and social services to noncitizens and undocumented immigrants in central and southern Illinois, began operating in the Wabash Building, 1999 Wabash Ave., in March. The organization will […]

The nearly $500 million effort to improve the Capitol Complex, including a major renovation of the long-vacant Illinois State Armory, continues to take shape in downtown Springfield. State officials presented updates about the project at a Citizens Club of Springfield gathering May 24, sharing details on completed segments, current construction efforts and secrets found.  The […]

State Sen. Doris Turner and Yale Law School lecturer Jorge Camacho joined the Massey Commission at the BOS Center in Springfield, May 19, to discuss legislative updates and new reform recommendations for Sangamon County. The commission, formed in response to last summer’s shooting death of Sonya Massey by Sangamon County Sheriff’s deputy Sean Grayson, has […]

A little-known candidate seeking the Republican nomination for Richard Durbin’s U.S. Senate seat says the GOP needs to adopt a “big tent” mentality that encourages bipartisan cooperation and prioritizes substantive solutions over partisan rhetoric. Pamela “Denise” Long, 52, a longtime contributor to Newsweek and Real Clear Politics, is leveraging her experience as a journalist, political […]

Rural Illinois communities like Beardstown in Cass County and nearby Rushville in Schuyler County, which rely on immigrant labor to keep local economies afloat, risk depression or even collapse under President Donald Trump’s aggressive immigration policy, according to immigration advocacy representatives. Formerly known as the Oscar Meyer meatpacking plant, and eventually changing ownership to JBS […]

Looking ahead to the rest of President Donald Trump’s final term in office is a challenge when there are still three years left. However, interviews with active and former Illinois Republicans give a glimpse into the party’s attitude toward the future in Illinois and overall. Trump’s political support as head of the Republican Party, while […]

Inspired by reform efforts in Ireland and Germany, Illinois activists are working to pass legislation that would offer more rehabilitation opportunities for youth offenders, allowing them to get their lives back on track and stay out of prison. Senate Bill 2156, which has passed the Senate and moved to the House, is the first step […]

As President Donald Trump champions conservative values across America, the ideological rift between Illinois’ northern liberal districts and the southern conservative farming communities continues to grow, fueled by decades of partisan policymaking. Kent Redfield, emeritus professor of political science at the University of Illinois Springfield, said two major changes in policy have had the greatest […]

Interviews with some optimistic Illinois Republicans, encouraged by President Donald Trump’s reinvigoration of conservative ideals, reveal how they view the political landscape as it shifts within the Democratic stronghold known as the Prairie State. Trump’s first term in office was inundated with uncertainty about possible impeachment and hesitant support from allies. The first 70-some days […]

Exploring the history of American lynching from Chicago to New Orleans, the Citizens Club of Springfield recently presented an account of racism and murder spanning the country, including the 1908 Race Riot in Springfield. In the United States, racism has evolved and changed with time, yet the same actions, attitudes and views are still present […]