By Ben SzalinskiCapitol News Illinoisbszalinski@capitolnewsillionis.com Standing on his backyard deck Thursday, April 24, the same place where he declared his 1996 candidacy for U.S. Senate, Illinois’ senior senator Dick Durbin reflected on his decision to retire after four decades in Congress. “I’ve done this my way, making decisions based on
By Saranac Hale SpencerFactCheck.org The Supreme Court ruled on the evening of April 10 that the Donald Trump Administration must comply with a lower court’s order to “facilitate” the release from custody of Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia, an immigrant who was deported without a hearing to a mega prison in
The City of Aurora government proudly invites the community to gather Tuesday, May 13 at 6:30 p.m., at the Paramount Theatre, 23 E. Galena Boulevard as we formally swear in our newly-elected officials, marking the next chapter in Aurora’s continued growth and prosperity: •Mayor-elect, John Laesch; •Ward 1 alderman, Dan
Starting May 7, anyone over 18 years old will be required to present a REAL ID, or another acceptable form of identification, like a valid U.S. passport, to board domestic flights and enter certain federal facilities or military bases. Implementing REAL ID standards nationwide was pushed back for years, but
Kane County Treasurer Chris Lauzen announced that the 2024 payable in 2025 Kane County Real Estate Tax Bills will be in the mail on or before May 1. Treasurer Lauzen shared that the first installment will be due June 2 and the second installment will be due September. The entire
By Bela “Bill” Suhayda Former president, Joe Biden, not only broke immigration laws and the U.S. Constitution, he chopped them up and burned them. Then he allowed an unprecedented 15 million unvetted, unvaccinated illegals into the country. Americans paying attention realized countries around the world had opened their prisons to
The Mayor of The United City of Yorkville, John Purcell, right, holds a signed proclamation to proclaim May as Motorcycle Awareness Month at the April 22 Yorkville City Council Meeting.
By John & Nisha Whitehead “We are fast approaching the stage of the ultimate inversion: the stage where the government is free to do anything it pleases.” — Ayn Rand One-hundred and thirty executive orders in under 100 days. Sweeping powers claimed in the name of “security” and “efficiency.” One
By Ben SzalinskiCapitol News Illinoisbszalinski@capitolnewsillinois.com When governor JB Pritzker tells audiences how he became interested in politics, it often starts with stories about his mother. As a child growing up in the San Francisco Bay Area, Pritzker often shares, he’d attend marches, rallies and protests with his mother in support
By Peter HancockCapitol News Illinoisphancock@capitolnewsillinois.com Illinois attorney general, Kwame Raoul, is asking State lawmakers for a $15 million increase in his General Revenue Fund budget for the upcoming year, saying his office needs a more “stable” system of funding as it takes on greater responsibilities, including the growing volume of
April 20, 2025Dear editor; This concerns current deportations without due process. Regardless of how one feels toward documented or undocumented immigrants in this country, ideally, all persons on American soil are entitled by the U.S. Constitution to due process under the law. I say “ideally” because Black Americans have been
Congressman Bill Foster (D-IL) joined 141 of his colleagues in sending a letter to president Donald Trump regarding Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a legal U.S. resident who was wrongfully detained and deported to El Salvador last month. In the letter, the Members requested an immediate update on the administration’s plans to
City of Aurora mayor-elect John Laesch recently announced the formation of his official Transition Team—a dynamic and diverse group of civic leaders, policy experts, organizers, and longtime public servants who will help shape the future of Aurora’s city government. Although the transition team includes three sitting Aldermen, Laesch will be
Musings: •The Sins of Donald J. Trump (chapter six): He has: Allowed a journalist to access classified military plans to combat the Houthis in Yemen; Fired members of the board of trustees of the Kennedy Center and named himself as its chairperson; Signed an executive order changing election rules, e.g.
By John & Nisha Whitehead It has begun, just as we predicted, justified in the name of national security. Mass roundups. Raids. Indefinite detentions in concentration camps. Martial law. The erosion of habeas corpus protections. The suspension of the Constitution, at least for select segments of the population. A hierarchy
By Molly Parker and Beth HundsdorferCapitol News Illinoisnews@capitolnewsillinois.com The Homeschool Act (HB 2827), a bill that would tighten homeschooling regulations in Illinois missed a key deadline Friday, April 11. But its sponsor, representative Terra Costa Howard, said it’s still alive — and she’s working on changes recommended by fellow lawmakers
Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias’ office opened a new 10,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art DMV+ housed at the former Carson Pirie Scott building in downtown Aurora. The Secretary of State’s office closed the city’s former DMV, at 339 E. Indian Trail, Friday, April 11 which was half the size of the new
By Jason Crane Mayor of Aurora, Richard Irvin presented a proclamation in honor of April being national Sikh Awareness and Appreciation Month at the April 15 Committee of the Whole (COW) meeting. Mayor Irvin invited members of Aurora’s Sikh community to share more about the Sikh faith and the purpose
April 13, 2025Dear editor; When you were little and made a mess, what happened? Mom or Dad walked in and exclaimed, What on earth have you been doing? Or What is this mess you’ve made? Either way, you were expected to clean it up. You learned to accept responsibility and
April 9, 2025Dear editor; Another unnecessary anti-family bill is advancing in Springfield. The Homeschool Act (HB 2827) will impose fines and jail time on parents who don’t file a “Homeschool Declaration Form.” In other words, those that don’t register with their local district and provide their curriculum for the school
