Representatives from the Waldo Middle School Girls Soccer Team show their Aurora Mayor’s Award of Excellence awards, commemorating their success in the City of Lights Tournament.
By Allison ClementsExecutive director,Illinois Housing Council Illinois is in the grip of an affordable housing crisis that reaches every corner of the state. Nearly 300,000 affordable rental homes are missing for our lowest-income residents. Rents have climbed to unsustainable levels, and homeownership is increasingly out of reach. The consequences are
By John & Nisha Whitehead One way or another, the American taxpayers always get screwed by politicians eager to spend our hard-earned dollars on programs and projects that do little to improve our lives, safeguard our freedoms, or secure our future. Donald Trump—the billionaire trust-fund baby/reality TV showman who transformed
By Marisa Guerra EcheverriaMedill Illinois News Bureaunews@capitolnewsillinois.com Diverse interest groups — from public school activists and downstate voters to state officials and school boards — have pushed governor JB Pritzker to finally make a decision about the Donald Trump administration’s Education Freedom Tax Credit. Yet, there has been mostly silence
By Maggie DoughertyCapitol News Illinoismdougherty@capitolnewsillinois.com Watchdog groups are calling on regulators to reject $178 million, or 80%, of a $220.8 million rate hike requested by Nicor Gas earlier this year, citing wasteful capital spending, excessive shareholder profits and “lavish” executive bonuses. Consumer advocate groups including the Citizens Utility Board, the
May 31, 2026Dear editor; I work closely with business owners and leaders in Black and Brown communities across Illinois. If the Interchange Fee Prohibition Act takes effect on July 1, it won’t hurt only small businesses. It will affect whole communities. This law would change how credit card payments work
Following an open call for nominations, and a week-long voting period, the City of Aurora is excited to reveal the names of the four baby falcons who hatched while under the wings of their mother on the side of City Hall in early May. Over 500 votes were cast by
By Hannah MeiselCapitol News Illinois Over hundreds of pages in legal filings this week, a group of well-known Chicago-based journalists, podcasters and voice actors accused tech giants like Google, Amazon, Apple, Microsoft and others of “stealing” their voices to train Artificial intelligence. The nine class action lawsuits, filed in Chicago’s
The Village of Montgomery Beautification Committee proudly announced the winners of its 2026 Arbor Day Poster Contest during the Village Board Meeting held Monday, May 11, at the Village Hall. Each year, the contest invites local students to celebrate the importance of trees through art. This year’s theme was “Our
The Kane County Treasurer’s Office has distributed more than $8.7 million in interest income to nearly 300 local taxing bodies across Kane County between 2021 and 2025, with annual distributions growing from $2,312 in 2021 to a peak of $3.49 million in 2024, an increase of more than 1,500 times
By Jenna SchweikertCapitol News Illinoisjschweikert@capitolnewsillinois.com As households across Illinois brace to lose their federal food assistance this month, grocery stores, especially independent grocers across the state, are preparing for the devastating effects of decreased spending. For some independent grocers, whose profit margins average 2%, a decrease in consumer spending associated
May 8, 2026Dear editor; I have been a long-term reader of the The Voice, and starting today, a first-time writer. I felt the urge to write after reading the Reader’s Commentary section: “Peace is possible, action was required by Trump in Iran,” in the April 23, 2026 issue of The
By Jason Crane The Aurora City Council, Tuesday, approved a Resolution for a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the City of Aurora and Phillips Park Foundation, as requested by alderman of the Third Ward, Ted Mesiacos. The Phillips Park Foundation has recently been formed as a new Phillips Park not
Established by Members of the U.S. House of Representatives in 2013, the competition is a nationwide event that allows middle and high school students from across the country to compete by creating and exhibiting a software application, or “app,” for mobile, tablet, or computer devices on a platform of their
The City of Aurora unveils new funding opportunities for neighborhood festivals scheduled to take place in 2026. Neighborhood Festival Funding Grants are now available to organizations and neighborhood groups planning public community events that acquaint residents with each other, while also educating participants about Aurora. The program offers grants for
By Nikoel HytrekCapitol News Illinoisnhytrek@captiolnewsillinois.com The Illinois General Assembly continues to debate what to do about data centers as the artificial intelligence business keeps booming, and communities complain about their energy bills, noise and environmental impacts. Data centers are warehouse-like buildings that house computer servers and other infrastructure that power
Illinois lieutenant governor Juliana Stratton invites Illinois students in grades sixth through 12th to submit an essay in celebration of America’s 250th year. Please choose one of the following prompts for a submission:•The future I want to help build: Imagine the next 250 years.•My community’s story: How has your community
Chris Lauzen, Kane County treasurer, is inviting residents of Kane County to take part in a new effort, “Love Letters to America: Voices from Kane County for America’s 250th Birthday,” as the Nation approaches its 250th anniversary in 2026. America will celebrate her 250th birthday in 2026. For generations, people
Open Roads ABATE members and United City of Yorkville mayor, John Purcel, center, pose with a signed proclamation for Motorcycle Safety and Awareness Month.
By John & Nisha Whitehead Call it what it is: A heist. The corruption, cronyism, and self-dealing that now define the American government—under Donald Trump in particular—amount to a slow-motion stick-up carried out in broad daylight. But here’s the trick: It’s a heist hidden behind spectacle. The Trump administration is
