Category: Government

Illinois House speaker seeks removal of Douglas statue

By Peter Hancock Illinois House speaker Michael Madigan Thursday, July 9 called for removing statues and portraits of the 19th Century U.S. senator Stephen A Douglas from the Statehouse along with other known slaveholders. “While reading Sidney Blumenthal’s book ‘All the Powers of Earth’ concerning the pre-Civil War period a

Pritzker funnels more than $51 Million to pro-graduated tax group; opposition launches coalition and vows ‘there will be resources’

By Jerry Nowicki Days after the governor donated $51.5 Million of his personal fortune to a committee supporting a graduated income tax constitutional amendment, a new coalition has begun an effort to defeat the measure. At stake is governor JB Pritzker’s signature policy proposal, a constitutional amendment scrapping the state’s

Judd Lofchie - candidate for Aurora mayor
Judd Lofchie, candidate for Aurora mayor

Judd Lofchie: Candidate for Aurora mayor

Judd Lofchie, real estate broker, attorney, and 10th Ward alderman for Aurora, announced Tuesday, June 30, his intentions to run for mayor. With three years of aldermanic experience and a storied history of community advocacy and support, Lofchie becomes the first to formally announce his entry to Aurora’s mayoral election

State continued unemployment claims remain over 700,000

By Jerry Nowicki The U.S. Department of Labor released statistics Thursday showing 705,878 Illinoisans received unemployment insurance for the week ending June 20. While that was a decrease of 4,401 continued unemployment claims overall from the previous week, according to the data, the State still saw 46,005 new initial claims

Illinois’ cap on gathering size is akin to building occupancy rules, Raoul says

By Rebecca Anzel State regulation of the number of persons allowed at gatherings does not violate Illinoisans’ First Amendment rights, the attorney general’s office argued in a court document. A lawsuit filed June 15 by the State’s Republican Party alleged governor JB Pritzker’s executive order limiting gatherings to 10 residents