Category: Government

Lawmakers call for caution on 5G, the next wireless wave

By REBECCA ANZEL First, there were cordless phones and text messages. Then, internet access and video calls. Now, wireless’s fifth generation will drive mobile phone speeds even faster and allow for advances in telemedicine and management of traffic signals, for example, according to the Federal Communications Commission. But two lawmakers,

House Republicans want DCFS reforms ahead of funding increase

By PETER HANCOCK A group of Republican lawmakers said Tuesday, Feb. 18 they want to see internal reforms at the Department of Children and Family Services in addition to the increased funding that Democratic governor JB Pritzker is expected to propose. Pritzker is scheduled to deliver his annual budget address

House Republicans say bipartisan effort should lead budgeting process

By JERRY NOWICKI One day before governor JB Pritzker’s budget address, House Republican lawmakers called for another “inclusive” and “bipartisan” effort at adopting a state budget without new taxes. “Let’s go back in time to last spring. Through a bipartisan effort and agreements in both chambers, we were able to

President Trump commutes Blagojevich sentence after 8 years

By Jerry Nowicki There was little support Tuesday at the former stomping grounds of ex-Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich for president Donald Trump’s decision to commute the remaining years of the disgraced former Democratic governor’s 14-year corruption sentence. Republicans and Democrats from various levels of State and federal government issued public

Representative Batnick disagrees with commutation

President Donald Trump Tuesday, commuted the sentence of former Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich, who was found guilty on federal corruption charges and removed from office in 2009. Blagojevich since has served eight years of a 14-year sentence in federal prison, and was set to be released Tuesday. State representative Mark

State Health Department can test corona virus in-state

By Jerry Nowicki The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) has the ability to test for the 2019 novel coronavirus in-state, which means shorter wait times for test results for those showing symptoms of the virus and meeting certain criteria. IDPH said in a news release Tuesday that Illinois is

Concerns of debt, direction in Aurora

February 9, 2020Dear editor; I was thinking about all the times I have approached Aurora City Council. They are bent on developing a “Something’s Happening Downtown” and making Aurora famous. It is their methodology that bothers me. Going deep in debt, embellishing crowd sizes and successes, producing bogus statistics and

Concerns of candidates and socialism

February 9, 2020Dear editor; Don’t you just love the double standard by the Democrats? If it had been Donald Trump’s son kicked out of military service for cocaine, there would have been headlines three inches high reporting that Trump got his kid got a job paying $87,000 per month for

All over except the shouting? It continues, unabated

It’s all over, but the shouting in the impeachment, and that is taking place and will continue to take place. The shouting will be from our accidental president, Donald Trump’s proclaiming, “I’ve been completely exonerated! Not guilty! I did nothing wrong!” These will be his opening remarks at all of