U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin PHOTO BY HARRY E. WALKER /TNS The United States should accept 100,000 refugees from the ghastly violence in Syria, said U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin recently. More than half of that nation’s people have been driven from their homes and to date at least 250,000 have been killed – the equivalent of […]
Dick Durbin
Posted inNews
For-profit school under fire for business practices
A for-profit college with a branch in Springfield is taking criticism for alleged deceptive practices. U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin is calling for stronger oversight of ITT Technical Institute and other for-profit schools by the federal government, citing the collapse of a school system that left students with no diplomas and a mountain of debt. Durbin […]
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Does FutureGen have a future?
With U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois looking on, Ken Humphreys, CEO of the FutureGen Alliance, signs a labor agreement on Monday to provide union labor for the FutureGen project planned in a rural area outside Jacksonville. The agreement may signal that the long-delayed project is moving forward. PHOTO BY PATRICK YEAGLE Illinois is one […]
Posted inNews
Ukraine in crisis
U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., speaks in front of his Springfield home March 23 about his recent visit to Ukraine. Photo BY LAUREN P. DUNCAN It’s been more than a month since Ukrainians were killed in Independence Square of Ukraine’s capital, Kiev. Six young Ukrainians who work with the country’s parliament shared their perspectives on […]
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Marching for marriage
Supporters of same-sex marriage fill the intersection of Second Street and Capitol Avenue in front of the Illinois Statehouse, demanding passage of a bill lifting the state’s ban on same-sex marriage. PHOTO BY PATRICK YEAGLE Supporters of same-sex marriage rallied at the Illinois Statehouse this week, demanding that the legislature pass a bill lifting the […]
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Illinois leaders campaign for federal immigration reform
Several prominent public figures in Illinois are pushing for passage of a federal immigration reform bill, which President Barack Obama called “the best chance we’ve had in years to fix our broken immigration system.” The Senate could pass the bill by July 4, though it faces an uphill battle in the House of Representatives. For […]
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Springfield small business owner lobbies in Washington, D.C.
If there’s a stereotype of a men’s clothing salesperson, Brandi Tolley of Springfield isn’t it. A work-from-home single mother and a military veteran, Tolley started her online eBay-based business about 10 years ago, and she quickly found her niche: buying and selling “big and tall” men’s clothes, sometimes even acting as a personal shopper for […]
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National ‘Amazon tax’ could mean big bucks for Illinois
As Illinois residents file their income tax returns, they’re faced with a choice: admit to buying something online and pay sales tax to the state, or skip the tax and risk paying a penalty later if they get audited. With the understaffed Illinois Department of Revenue swamped by a backlog of unprocessed filings, taxpayers who […]
Posted inNews
Springfield goes to Washington
As lawmakers in Washington, D.C., debate a far-reaching transportation funding measure that could mean jobs for Springfield, government and religious leaders here are making their voices heard in the nation’s capital. The U.S. House will likely vote on a five-year transportation bill this month, which could increase the number of transportation-related jobs for minorities and […]
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Springfield businesses say Illinois’ Amazon Tax not enough
It’s a battle already decided in Illinois, but the winners say they are still suffering. Now they’re preparing for a renewed fight in Washington, D.C. At issue is whether Internet retailers like Amazon.com, Inc. should have to collect state and local sales taxes. Illinois’ own “Amazon Tax” took effect in March 2011, but some Springfield […]
Posted inOpinion
The Durbin Fee
Is it really possible – even in a nation whose congresspeople believe that laying off people creates jobs and whose wealthy believe that helping to pay to run the country that made them rich is unpatriotic – that some people still believed there is such as thing as free banking? Apparently, judging from the hoohah […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Durbin on the rail
Something about the Springfield rail consolidation seems to have spooked Sen. Dick Durbin, our senior Illinois senator in Washington. Maybe it was the State Journal-Register article today that has Springfield Mayor Mike Houston and Sangamon County Board Chairman Andy Van Meter disagreeing with the “official” federal estimates of the project’s cost. Whatever the cause, Durbin […]
