Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton is the first Democrat to step into what is expected to be a crowded race to fill Sen. Dick Durbin’s Senate seat. Stratton launched her campaign Thursday morning in a video just one day after Durbin announced he will not seek reelection for a seat he has held since 1997. “As Donald […]
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Sen. Dick Durbin to retire after more than four decades in Congress
Longtime Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin, the No. 2 Democrat in the U.S. Senate, announced he will retire after his term ends in January 2027. “I truly love the job of being United State Senator, but in my heart, I know it’s time to pass the torch,” Durbin said in a social media video. Durbin’s retirement […]
Pritzker balances messaging as some Dems encourage party to avoid LGBTQ issues
When Gov. JB Pritzker tells audiences how he became interested in politics, it often starts with stories about his mother. As a child growing up in the San Francisco Bay Area, Pritzker often shares, he’d attend marches, rallies and protests with his mother in support of abortion, women’s rights and LGBTQ issues. Those experiences, Pritzker […]
Illinois scrambles to boost locally produced farm products after Trump’s funding freeze
When Illinois named small farmer Nathan Ryder a finalist for a federal $100,000 Local Food Infrastructure Grant, he made big plans for his farm in the southeastern tip of the state. Then the U.S. Department of Agriculture cut his funding. The Ryder family farm, a 10-acre operation in Pope County that produces chicken eggs, sheep […]
Social Security rescinding its plan to end phone-based filing called a win for Illinois seniors
The Illinois chapter of AARP played a role in the Trump administration reversing itself and allowing Social Security beneficiaries to have the option of filing for benefits over the phone. The continuation of phone-based filing is an about-face of a plan set forth in mid-March by the Social Security Administration (SSA) to restrict telephone services for […]
Illinois nursing homes seek Medicaid rate hike
Nursing home industry officials are urging Illinois lawmakers to increase the rates they receive from the state’s Medicaid system, arguing the current rates are outdated and are forcing many facilities around the state out of business. “We’ve expressed our concerns that closures will happen. We’ve been saying that for years, and it’s actually happening now, […]
Sean Grayson’s trial moved to Peoria
The trial of the former Sangamon County sheriff’s deputy accused of murdering Sonya Massey in July 2024 will take place in Peoria County with jurors who live there, Circuit Court Judge Ryan Cadagin decided April 8. The judge ruled in favor of a motion filed by attorneys for Riverton resident Sean Grayson, 30, to move […]
Trump administration blocks more than $400M in funding for Illinois health programs
President Donald Trump’s administration is pulling back $477 million from Illinois that was to be used to prevent infectious disease and treat mental health and substance abuse issues. The Illinois Department of Public Health announced this week the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is taking back $125 million allocated to IDPH and 97 […]
Inside the harrowing 100-mile police chase in Sangamon County
When Sangamon County Sheriff’s Deputy Jonathan Pearce saw a white pickup spotted outside a motorcycle shop that had been burglarized earlier that night, he punched the gas and chased the fleeing truck, reaching race car speeds and screeching his tires through hairpin turns. Sgt. James Hayes, his supervisor, asked whether he had enough gas. “I […]
DOGE cuts come to Springfield
Springfield business owner John Chiang received a letter March 10 that landlords dread: a tenant is breaking its lease. The tenant is the U.S. government’s Department of Labor, which rents office space on the second floor of the building at 3161 W. White Oaks Drive. The building is owned by Chiang, 82, who also owns […]
Republican bills aim to assist Illinois in its battle against fentanyl
Illinois Republican senators have filed bills that would combat the state’s fentanyl crisis and further punish major possessors of the drug. One bill would reclassify a fentanyl overdose as a “poison,” while another would consider major fentanyl possessors a threat to public safety. According to the Illinois Department of Public Health, Illinois experienced 3,261 fatal opioid-related […]
International Women’s Day: Unite & Resist in Springfield
International Women’s Day has been celebrated since March 8, 1913. Hundreds of people showed up at the Illinois State Capitol on Saturday for International Women’s Day – Unite & Resist in Springfield to speak out for women’s rights and protest actions by President Donald Trump and Elon Musk. Speakers included Martin Woulfe (Abraham Lincoln Unitarian […]
