Category: Government

DOJ seeking Illinois voter data to purge non-citizens

By Peter HancockCapitol News Illinoisphancock@capitolnewsillinois.com The Donald Trump administration’s lawsuits seeking access to sensitive voter registration data in Illinois and dozens of other states is one part of a broader effort to purge state voter rolls of suspected noncitizens, according to documents filed recently in federal court in Springfield. Those

Nearly $1.1 Million in Federal funds for Aurora lead-free water project

Mayor of Aurora, John Laesch, honored congresswoman Lauren Underwood (D-IL-14) and congressman Bill Foster (D-IL-11) at Tuesday night’s Committee of the Whole meeting, for bringing nearly $1.1 million in federal funds to the City of Aurora. The funding, totaling $1,092,000, was part of the “Lead-Free Water Project” and will be

Rep. Davis bill to create guardrails around new data centers

State representative Jed Davis (R-Yorkville) has introduced legislation to ensure local residents have a direct voice in decisions surrounding the placement of large-scale data centers in their communities. The proposal, House Bill 5755, creates a clear pathway for voters to weigh in through a referendum before a municipality approves a

Reader’s Commentary: Weasels sowing divisiveness, dangerous actions arise

By Bela “Bill” Suhayda Back in the day, we referred to people who were sneaky, untrustworthy, manipulative, and cowardly as weasels. These were the people who took pot shots at others in defamatory ways in the effort to lift themselves up by stepping on those around them. These were people

Founding felons: Jefferson would be on a watch list today

By John & Nisha Whitehead Everything this Nation once stood for is being turned on its head. We are being asked—no, told—to believe that the greatest threat to America today is not government overreach, endless war, corruption, surveillance, or the steady erosion of constitutional rights. No, the real threat, it

State commission finds agent abuses were ‘greenlit by Washington’ for Operation Midway Blitz

By Maggie Dougherty The Illinois Accountability Commission has spent the last six months reviewing incidents of alleged misconduct by federal immigration agents in Chicago amid Operation Midway Blitz. What it has found, commission officials said, is evidence of three major policy directives that permitted and encouraged agent misconduct, stemming from

Millionaire tax fails to gain enough support

By Ben SzalinskiCapitol News Illinoisbszalinski@capitolnewsillinois.com A “millionaire tax” proposal floated in the Illinois House failed to gain enough traction in Springfield this week, making it increasingly unlikely that voters will be asked to approve the measure in November. House speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch, D-Hillside, confirmed to reporters on Wednesday night

Mayor John Laesch honors Aurora Regional Fire Museum

At the Aurora Committee of the Whole meeting, April 21, mayor John Laesch honored the Aurora Regional Fire Museum for winning two prestigious statewide awards from the Illinois Association of Museums. The museum received the 2026 Small Institution of the Year Award and the 2026 Award of Super Achievement (Exhibits),

Easier to die, harder to vote: The rigged warfare state

By John & Nisha Whitehead Reports of food shortages on naval ships deployed to the Middle East. Video footage of disabled military veterans—some in wheelchairs, others leaning on canes—being zip-tied and dragged out of the Capitol Rotunda for staging a peaceful, anti-war protest. Sixty-six veterans were arrested while conducting a

Illinois budget: Strong revenue, uncertain outlook

By Ben SzalinskiCapitol News Illinoisbszalinski@capitolnewsillinois.com The biggest item on Illinois lawmakers’ agenda this spring is still a work in progress with six weeks left in the legislative session. Democrats are entering the home stretch of budget negotiations ahead of their scheduled May 31 adjournment while monitoring better-than-expected revenue growth alongside