The U.S. Supreme Court unanimously ruled recently that Maryland resident Kilmar Abrego Garcia must be released and returned to his family. He was wrongfully deported to the high-security prison in El Salvador based on what the Trump administration calls an “administrative error.” However, during a recent visit to the Oval Office with President Donald Trump, […]
Newsletter – Main
Posted inNews
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 […]
Posted inNews
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 […]
Posted inNews
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 […]
Posted inOpinion
A visit from Charlie Kirk
Charlie Kirk’s “Prove Me Wrong American Comeback Tour” came to Illinois State University in Bloomington on April 8. Kirk cofounded Turning Point USA in 2012 and the organization advocates for conservative politics on high school, college and university campuses. ISU is one of 850 campus chapters nationwide. My 19-year-old daughter attends ISU and was eager […]
Posted inNews
How Republicans became a Statehouse superminority
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 […]
Posted inNews
Bringing office workers back to downtown
A Springfield company is asking the city for $2.6 million in TIF revenue to help renovate the long-vacant former AT&T building downtown so the 128,000-square-foot structure can be rented as office space to house more than 300 government employees. Christopher Stone, part-owner and managing member of Springfield Partners IV LLC, the company making the TIF […]
Posted inNews
Judge dismisses lawsuit contesting city clerk appointment
A Sangamon County judge has dealt a blow to efforts to unseat City Clerk Chuck Redpath from his post, which opponents say he obtained through an illegitimate city council vote. The longtime Springfield City Council member was appointed clerk Jan. 7 by a divided council after a tumultuous, two-hour meeting amid allegations the process was […]
Posted inNews
Hope Springs eternal for Enos Park housing project
The Springfield City Council unanimously approved a zoning change April 15 that will allow for construction of a housing complex to serve residents with physical and/or mental disabilities. The new facility, slated to be built at 849 N. Ninth St. on the eastern edge of the Enos Park neighborhood, would be an expansion of ongoing […]
Posted inNews
Legislature kills bill that would have expanded resentencing for youth offenders
The Illinois House shot down legislation Thursday that would have allowed some people incarcerated for crimes they committed when they were under 21 to become eligible for release. In a rare rebuke of a Democrat-sponsored bill, a bipartisan coalition of lawmakers voted against House Bill 3332, causing the bill to fail on a 49-51 vote. […]
Posted inOpinion
State grapples with impact of federal uncertainties
Gov. JB Pritzker said last week that the extreme uncertainty with the U.S. government and the international economy might mean that the legislature may have to reconvene to reconfigure the state budget after it adjourns at the end of next month. “It may very well be that we’re going to have to come back at […]
Posted inNews
Waves of Illinois’ international university students lose their visas
The federal government has revoked the visas of some international students studying at universities across Illinois, but college administrators are sharing few details, including how many students have been impacted. A spokesperson for the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign this week confirmed that some of its students are affected, but did not disclose a number. U […]
