Aurora remembers 9/11
Aurora firefighters lay a wreath Thursday, Sept. 11 at Aurora’s annual 9-11 memorial ceremony at the Aurora Central fire station.
Aurora City Council listens to thoughts on Sept. 12 flag raising
By Jason Crane The Aurora City Council listened to many public comments, both in support of and against the decision of Aurora mayor John Laesch to raise municipal flags Friday, Sept. 12, after the flags were lowered in remembrance of lives lost in the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks. President Donald
League of Women Voters of Illinois endorses Fair State Maps
In the shadow of midterm gerrymandering wars for U.S. Congressional seats, Illinois voters may soon face a new ballot measure aimed at curbing partisan map-drawing for legislative districts within Illinois set to take effect after the 2030 census. Partisan gerrymandering reduces political debate and competition in our elections. It also
Reader’s Voice: Kifowit: Kids Expo & Touch-A-Truck
September 14, 2025Dear editor; Thank you to everyone who joined us this past weekend for my Annual Kids Expo & Touch-A-Truck. We had such a wonderful turnout, and it was heartwarming to see so many families and children come together to enjoy the day. Kids climbed aboard police cars, fire
Reader’s Voice: Thanks for all the help Dems
September 13, 2025Dear editor; I just want to thank the activist democrats, not all democrats, and the democratic so called leadership, whoever they are, for making the next election cycle a little easier for us Republicans to win. You would like to think by now they may have learned something
Response to former mayor Pierce on Aurora casino
By Ricky Rieckert Dear readers, I’m thankful to former Aurora mayor David Pierce for his input last week about the Hollywood Casino in Aurora, which opened in 1993. The former mayor wrote that the City gave the casino the land, where the casino was built and a small parking lot,
Mayor Laesch on Aurora flags
Thursday, Sept. 11 the City of Aurora government joined communities across the Nation in lowering municipal flags to half-staff in solemn remembrance of the lives lost in the September 11, 2001 attacks. Friday, Sept. 12, Aurora’s flags were returned to full staff. While the president of the United States, Donald
Aurora disrespects with flag
State representative Jed Davis expressed deep concern over Aurora’s mayor raising flags to full staff before the conclusion of governor JB Pritzker’s official half-staff order, which remained in effect through sunset Sunday, Sept. 14. “The Governor’s half-staff directive was clear and carries the force of state law under the Illinois
Reader’s Commentary: Free speech under fire, radicalization of our youth
By Bela “Bill” Suhayda I began writing to The Voice because of the horrific things I came across in the editorial/opinion sections of this publication. I wanted to push back against the hatred, the shameful name calling, the lies and fabrications contained on some of these pages. So I asked
Congressman Bill Foster statement on voting against NDAA
Congressman Bill Foster (D-IL) issued the following statement after voting against the House Republican version of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for FY26. “In Congress, the NDAA has historically been a bipartisan process focused on strengthening our national security and supporting service members and their families. I’m disappointed that
Illinois among blue states to keep public health dollars
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,
Aurora city council expresses budget concerns over new hire
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
Reader’s Voice: Former mayor corrections on casino
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
Reader’s Voice: The Country’s corrupted conscience
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
Reader’s Voice: Trump’s change to Dept. of War, wrong
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
Stephanie Kifowit: Protect constitutional freedoms over political theater
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
Capitalism: Issues with, and solutions to fix
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
What the data says about Social Security in the U.S.
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
When rule of law becomes rule by gunpoint
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.
Illinois elections board refuses to give DOJ sensitive voter data
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