By Peter HancockCapitol News Illinoisphancock@capitolnewsillinois.com An Illinois House panel Wednesday, Oct. 29 advanced a bill aimed at reforming a state pension plan known as the “Tier 2” system, but only with the understanding that negotiations will continue and no final action will be taken until next spring at the earliest.
By Maggie DoughertyCapitol News Illinoismdougherty@capitolnewsillinois.com Illinois mother of four and food delivery driver Aubrey Lewandowski says she immediately started rationing the food she had left after getting a text alerting her that her Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, benefits may not come through next month. Lewandowski will be forced
By Ben SzalinskiCapitol News Illinoisbszalinski@capitolnewsillinois.com Illinois lawmakers approved new funding for public transportation agencies without large statewide tax increases previously proposed. Instead, the measure would be fueled by revenue sources that currently feed the state’s Road Fund and an increased sales tax targeted to the Chicago area. The bill frustrated
The City of Aurora has been named one of the safest cities in the United States, ranking No. 33 overall and No. 17 in the category of “Home & Community Safety” in WalletHub’s 2025 Safest Cities in America study. The national study compared 182 of the country’s largest cities using
By Ben SzalinskiCapitol News Illinoisbszalinski@capitolnewsillinois.com Illinois joined 24 other states and the District of Columbia in suing the Donald Trump administration over plans to stop funding the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Saturday as the federal government shutdown continues. About 1.9 million people in Illinois, and about 42 million people
By Brenden MooreCapitol News Illinoisbmoore@capitolnewsillinois.com While candidates filed petitions Monday to run under Illinois’ existing congressional district lines, U.S. House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries brought his redistricting campaign to Illinois, pitching top state Democrats on a new map in a series of closed-door meetings. Dozens of congressional candidates were in
By Jason Crane The Aurora City Council listened to dozens of speakers in a standing-room-only crowd after agreeing to allow nearly an hour of extra time for public comments at the Tuesday, Oct. 28 City Council meeting. The majority of speakers expressed anger and sadness about the recent actions of
Joint statement from Aurora Rapid Response Team and Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights Saturday, Oct. 25, Aurora experienced an escalation of ICE and CBP activity, putting everyone in our city in danger. It is clear that ICE is an unaccountable, rogue agency that exists only to harm our
Once again, like the sun rising over the Great Lakes, there is an opinion in the news that disrespects the hardworking people who give so much to our state. Over the past three years, my committee and I have been working on a comprehensive package to retain and attract dedicated
One thing I’ve gotten in the habit of doing first thing in the morning, besides kicking empty beer cans under the bed, is taking a Dramamine pill before I turn on a morning news program and see Donald Trump’s orange face plastered across the screen and hear what embarrassment he’s
By Bela “Bill” Suhayda Six bunker buster bombs dropped on Iranian nuclear facilities changed the course of history in the Middle East. The person sending the bombs was none other than president Donald Trump, the person most hated by The Voice contributors “Wayne’s World” Johnon, Charles “The Chas” Coddington, and
By John & Nisha Whitehead For a man supposedly intent on winning a Nobel Peace Prize, Donald Trump spends an extraordinary amount of time waging war, threatening to wage war, and fantasizing about waging war. Notwithstanding his dubious claims about having ended “seven un-endable wars,” Trump has continued to squander
By Hannah MeiselCapitol News Illinoishmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.com The Donald Trump administration has agreed to extend a federal judge’s temporary block on deploying National Guard troops to Chicago while the U.S. Supreme Court weighs whether to stay the judge’s order. In a filing Tuesday — two days before U.S. District Judge April Perry’s
Mayor of Aurora, John Laesch, honors the Aurora Police Department Crisis Negotiations Team at the Tuesday, Oct. 21 City Council meeting. The team was named the 2025 Negotiations Team of the Year by the Illinois Crisis Negotiators Association. The distinguished honor is for their teamwork during a long and complex
By Jason Crane The Aurora City Council is considering a Resolution to authorize the expenditure of special service area tax funds in a total aggregate amount not to exceed $50,000. In addition, a provision of City staff member support for the purpose of organizing an independent not-for-profit organization to render
Representatives Bill Foster (D-IL) and Tom Kean, Jr. (R-NJ) announced that they sent a letter calling on social media platforms to combat foreign bot farms spreading disinformation and encouraging political violence. “The recent rise in political violence poses a serious threat to American democracy,” said congressman Bill Foster. “The Justice
Kane County is accepting applications for the position of Kane County Board Member for District 2 serving portions of North Aurora, Batavia, Geneva, and Aurora. This vacancy is due to the passing of Board member Dale Berman. The position is an elected office with duties outlined in the Illinois Counties
Congressman Bill Foster (D-IL) announced that he will once again donate his Congressional pay earned during the government shutdown to the Northern Illinois Food Bank. Foster also donated his paycheck to the food bank during previous Republican Shutdowns in 2013 and 2019. “It is unacceptable that federal employees are going
State representative Jed Davis (R-Yorkville) filed a bill to bring school choice programs back to the state of Illinois. House Bill 4148 would require Illinois to participate in the federal tax credit school choice program established under the federal One Big Beautiful Bill Act and identify scholarship-granting organizations located in
Illinois State representative Stephanie Kifowit (D-Oswego) expressed her unwavering support for the University Professionals of Illinois, students, and fellow lawmaker Rep. La Shawn Ford. “I stand in full solidarity with the University Professionals of Illinois, our students, and my colleague, Rep. La Shawn Ford, in demanding the immediate release of
