By Anna Claire Vollersstateline.orgavollers@stateline.org After the Donald Trump administration slashed billions in state and local public health funding from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention earlier this year, the eventual impact on states split sharply along political lines. Democratic-led states that sued to block the cuts, including Illinois,
By Jason Crane After a lengthy discussion, the Aurora City Council approved, by a vote of 7 – 5 a Resolution to appoint Michele Niermann as assistant corporation counsel III to assist the City’s corporation counsel Yordana Wysocki. Niermann was approved to be hired to help part time with employment
September 9, 2025Dear editor; A recent columnist in The Voice got it wrong about incentives given to Hollywood Casino when it came to Aurora in the early 1990s. The writer stated that “Aurora invested a load of money (a gamble) to bring the casino to Aurora.” In fact, the Hollywood
September 6, 2025Dear editor; It’s a hypocrisy that the man who is leading our Nation is a convicted criminal who wants our respect. A man who also attempted to overturn the 2020 election by promoting false public accusations that resulted in violence at the capital, then rewarded those participants with
September 8, 2025Dear editor; As one who served at the Pentagon during 9-11, I was proud to serve under the auspices that I was a defender of our homeland rather than being thought of as one who wages war. By issuing an executive order to rename the Department of Defense
The federal government is choosing to send troops into Chicago rather than focusing on the real threats to our families’ safety and well-being. Our Nation is grappling with the tragedy of yet another school shooting in Minnesota, a cost-of-living crisis and a deterioration of due process. The state of Illinois
Author’s note: Donald Trump’s threat to fire Jerome Powell, head of the Federal Reserve Bank, and the governors of the regional banks, suggests that he would like to absorb the Fed under his watchful eye. This is not the first time the Republic’s method of governing the Nation’s economy has
By Drew DeSilverPew Research Center Few if any programs of the U.S. government touch as many people as directly as Social Security. Nearly every working American pays Social Security taxes, and more than 55 million people receive retirement benefits through the program. Millions more also collect disability benefits or cash
By John & Nisha Whitehead Donald Trump has always been a master of imagery. From his red MAGA hats to his choreographed rallies, he understands the language of spectacle. Now he has discovered the perfect propaganda machine: AI-generated images. AI allows the creation of endless variations of Trump-as-warrior, Trump-as-enforcer, Trump-as-savior.
By Peter HancockCapitol News Illinoisphancock@capitolnewsillinois.com The Illinois State Board of Elections said this week it will not hand over to the Donald Trump administration a copy of the state’s complete, unredacted voter registration database, citing state laws that require the agency to protect voters’ sensitive personal information. In a letter
By Ben SzalinskiCapitol News Illinoisbszalinski@capitolnewsillinois.com Governor JB Pritzker said Tuesday, Sept. 2 he expects Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to employ the same aggressive strategies they used in Los Angeles earlier this summer after president Donald Trump said he will deploy the National Guard to Chicago. The information, Pritzker said,
By Peter HancockCapitol News Illinoisphancock@capitolnewsillinois.com Two veteran federal officials from Illinois are relaunching an effort to amend the Illinois Constitution and end partisan gerrymandering in state legislative districts. Bill Daley, a Democrat from Chicago who served as secretary of commerce under President Bill Clinton, and Ray LaHood, a former Republican
By Robert Farley Since announcing the temporary federal takeover of Washington, D.C.’s, law enforcement, president Donald Trump has repeatedly criticized state laws limiting the use of cash bail. But his arguments have strayed from the facts in three key areas: Trump claimed that “every place in the country where you
OnLight Aurora, a City-connected fiber optic broadband service that provides affordable, high-speed internet to City of Aurora buildings, in addition to other public sector and private sector clients, was the subject of a comprehensive presentation by mayor John Laesch at Tuesday night’s Committee of the Whole meeting. The presentation, which
Kane County clerk. John A. Cunningham announced the release of the 2025-2026 Kane County Government Guideand the 2025-2027 Kane County Election Calendar. The Kane County Government Guide includes information regarding local, county, state, and federal-elected officials who represent Kane County. It briefly describes the various departments within Kane County government,
By John & Nisha Whitehead Cancel culture—political correctness amped up on steroids, the self-righteousness of a narcissistic age, and a mass-marketed pseudo-morality that is little more than fascism disguised as tolerance—has shifted us into an Age of Intolerance. Nothing illustrates this more clearly than president Donald Trump’s latest executive order
By Ben SzalinskiCapitol News Illinoisbszalinski@capitolnewsillinois.com In front of gleaming skyscrapers along the Chicago River, Illinois’ Democratic leaders showed a united front Monday against president Donald Trump’s threats to deploy the military into Chicago’s streets to fight crime with one message: “Mr. President, do not come to Chicago.” “You are neither
By Peter HancockCapitol News Illinoisphancock@capitolnewsillinois.com Federal officials are continuing to press their demand for Illinois’ unredacted voter registration database, which includes sensitive personal information, and are now giving state officials until Monday, Sept. 1, to comply. In an email Thursday, Aug. 21, Michael E. Gates, an attorney in the Civil
By Ben SzalinskiCapitol News Illinoisbszalinski@capitolnewsillinois.com President Donald Trump signed an executive order Monday aimed at pushing Illinois to reverse its law that eliminated cash bail. The order calls on the U.S. attorney general to come up with a list of states and other jurisdictions that “substantially” eliminated cash bail and
By Jason Crane The Aurora City Council voted 7 – 5 to continue a 1% tax on grocery items at the Tuesday, Aug. 26 City Council meeting. The Illinois state grocery tax of 1% is set to be eliminated effective January 1, 2026, as per Public Act 103-0781, and provides
