At court hearing, former Democratic powerhouse makes first appearance in court By Hannah MeiselCapitol News Illinoishmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.com CHICAGO –Former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan won’t be spending his 82nd birthday in a federal courtroom this spring after a judge on Wednesday granted his request to delay his bribery and racketeering trial
Former director Marc Smith will stay on until Feb. 1 By Beth Hundsdorfer Capitol News Illinoisbhundsdorfer@capitolnewsillinois.com The troubled state agency charged with the protection of abused and neglected children will have new leadership in the new year. Gov. JB Pritzker announced Wednesday that Department of Juvenile Justice Director Heidi Mueller will
By Peter Hancock As the cost of higher education continues to rise in Illinois and elsewhere, a growing number of students are working to earn as many college credits as possible while they are still in high school. But even as the popularity continues to grow for “dual credit” offerings
By Jason Crane Mayor of Aurora, Richard Irvin, and the Aurora City Council listened to a proposed resolution authorizing the provision of America Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding for Aurora Civic Center Authority (ACCA) in the amount of $4.5 Million for 2024. ACCA has requested financial assistance to subsidize its
December 30, 2023Dear editor; Some would like to believe that the issues today are all brand new. Believing that early American culture was not based on division, class wars and prejudice is to have blinders on. The issues today come from seeds planted long ago. America is filled with mind
By Bela “Bill” Suhayda Not only hasn’t Donald Trump been convicted of insurrection, he hasn’t been charged with the crime. Special prosecutor Jack Smith, the henchman of the DOJ (Department of Justice) and Democrats, could have charged Trump with the crime, but realized he didn’t have a case. Perhaps Trump’s
Valerie Goss, the head of the faculty union at Chicago State University, and Illinois Federation of Teachers President Daniel Montgomery embrace at an April 3, 2023 rally on the campus of Chicago State University.
By John & Nisha Whitehead “The greater the power, the more dangerous the abuse.” —Edmund Burke Folks, it’s time to break the cycle of abuses—cruel, brutal, immoral, unconstitutional and unacceptable—that have been heaped upon us by the government for way too long. Here’s just a small sampling of what we
By Peter Hancok, Andrew Adams, & Jerry NowickiCapitol News Illinoisnews@capitolnewsillinois.com More than 300 new laws will take effect January 1, 2024 ranging from a ban on book bans to the regulation of “deepfake porn” and prohibitions on videoconferencing while driving. Thanks to a law signed in 2019, workers at the
By Jerry NowickiCapitol News Illinoisjnowicki@capitolnewsillinois.com With Illinois lawmakers scheduled to return to legislative session in less than a month, a recent government fiscal forecast provides an overview of the budgeting landscape that awaits them. The bottom line from the five-year forecast from the Governor’s Office of Management and Budget: The
By Jason Crane With concern about migrants who were recently transported to the City without prior arrangements, the Aurora City Council convened Friday, Dec. 22, at noon, for a special City Council meeting to consider amending an Ordinance to define and prohibit unscheduled bus stops of individuals who are transported
With a major election coming up, it’s time to re-visit some necessary changes in the way we govern ourselves. Some of the following suggestions are not new, but they are nevertheless still worth considering. And some will require a constitutional amendment to bring them into being (“Y” = Yes, “N”
Illinois State representative Stephanie Kifowit (D-Oswego) received an award at the American Civil Liberties Union annual Legislator Awards, held at the ACLU’s Illinois headquarters in Chicago December 14. The award recognizes representative Kifowit’s unwavering commitment to civil liberties, specifically her sponsorship and advocacy of SB 2323 in 2021, which ended
Naperville Park District is a partner with the DuPage County Stormwater Management Department to complete three projects that will improve the area’s capacity to manage stormwater, improve water quality in the DuPage River and enhance the shoreline environment. The three projects are: pond shoreline restoration at Brighton Ridge Park, 775
At its December 14, meeting, the Naperville Park District Board of Park Commissioners voted to adopt the 2024 Budget and Appropriation Ordinance. Prior to the meeting, the draft budget was posted on the District’s website for a 30-day public review period. Additionally, the District released the 2024 Budget Snapshot, a
In a demonstration for human rights, 40 activists protested outside congressman Bill Foster’s holiday breakfast fundraiser located at the Office of Giamanco Law Partners, Ltd., in order to escalate their demand that Rep. Foster call for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza. The grassroots activists included Democratic Precinct Committeepeople, members of
By John & Nisha Whitehead The Christmas story of a baby born in a manger is a familiar one. The Roman Empire, a police state in its own right, had ordered that a census be conducted. Joseph and his pregnant wife, Mary, traveled to the little town of Bethlehem so
Even a rainy, grey weekend couldn’t put a damper on the energy and defeat the purpose of a special street dedication in Aurora. Mayor of Aurora, Richard Irvin was joined by Aurora City Council members to unveil the new street name for Purpose City Church in Aurora. Appropriately named ‘Purpose
Key message: Child’s word is sufficient evidence of abuse Two employees of the Kane County State’s Attorney’s Office recently traveled to the South American country of Bolivia to address hundreds of judges, prosecutors and medical and mental health officials at a national conference on sexual violence against children. Assistant State’s
The Village of Oswego has confirmed that Wolfs Crossing from Harvey Road to Devoe Drive will reopen to traffic December 29 at noon. The is the first segment of a multi-year plan to improve Wolfs Crossing by expanding the roadway to a modern, four-lane road to help ease traffic congestion,
