By Peter Hancock Governor JB Pritzker signed legislation Tuesday, June 27 that will dramatically alter the health insurance market in Illinois. The measures establish a state-based exchange for policies sold under the Affordable Care Act and give the Illinois Department of Insurance the authority to modify or reject proposed rate
By Andrew Adams A trip from St. Louis to Chicago through Amtrak’s Lincoln Service became 15 minutes quicker starting last week due to track upgrades that allow for increased speeds. The Amtrak line ran its first 110 miles per hour service Monday, June 26 an increase from 90 miles per
Emphasizing the need to responsibly prioritize resources on the issues families are concerned about, State representative Matt Hanson, D-Aurora, backed a compassionate and responsible budget that fully funds support for classrooms, local police departments, and lifesaving health care residents depend on. “The budget is an opportunity for us to outline
The DuPage County Board Tuesday, June 27 voted to allocate funds for the DuPage County Health Department to build a $25.8 million Crisis Recovery Center (CRC), which will expand the behavioral health crisis system in DuPage County. The 33,000-square-foot building will be connected to the Linda A. Kurzawa Community Center,
By Peter Hancock Immigrants in Illinois with or without permission from U.S. immigration authorities will soon be able to obtain standard driver’s licenses that can be used for identification. Governor JB Pritzker Friday, June 30 signed House Bill 3882, which will phase out the “Temporary Visitor Driver’s License,” or TVDL,
By John & Nisha Whitehead The government is goosestepping all over our freedoms. Case in point: America’s founders did not want a military government ruled by force. Rather, they opted for a republic bound by the rule of law: The U.S. Constitution. Yet, over the course of the past 240-plus
Aurora will celebrate the Nation’s 247th birthday with a grand parade Tuesday, July 4 through downtown with more than 60 exciting parade units led by our 2023 Grand Marshal WGN Television Weather Anchor & Aurora Native Paul Konrad! But even before the parade steps off, there are amazing things happening:
A trailblazing history-maker, in 1991, she was the first Black person elected to the Aurora City Council, and last week, she became the first sitting City Council member to die while in office. In between were 32 years of making more history, making significant moves, and making the lives of
U.S. Congressman Bill Foster (D-11), center, presents a ceremonial $1.25 million check Tuesday, June 27, at a groundbreaking ceremony for Green Freedom, a 17-home, net-zero-energy subdivision on Aurora’s southwest side by Fox Valley Habitat for Humanity.
By Jerry Nowicki A new State fiscal year will begin July 1, ushering in the reinstatement of a one percent tax on groceries and a second increase to the State’s motor fuel tax in 2023. Amid record-high inflation last spring, the General Assembly temporarily waived Illinois’ grocery tax for the
By Jason Crane The Aurora City Council approved, 10-1, the final plans by PENN Entertainment, at the Tuesday, June 27 City Council meeting, to clear the final step to begin the construction process. Recently-elected alderman-at-large John Laesch was the one dissenting vote. The Hollywood Casino Aurora will move from its
Chicago Bears general manager Kevin Warren said this week the Chicago Bears are now “in a position to start exploring other places and opportunities and no longer considers Arlington Heights as a singular focus.” This is ideal timing because the City of Aurora submitted to Warren a letter of interest
She made history when she was elected in 1991 to the Aurora City Council and continued to blaze a trail of unparalleled leadership, service, and advocacy, for the next three decades. A trailblazing public servant whose name is synonymous with Aurora, Ward 7 alderwoman, Scheketa Hart-Burns, was the first African
Representative Sean Casten (IL-06) announced Monday, June 26 Illinois has received a $12,299,377 grant from the Biden-Harris Administration’s infrastructure law to put new American-built buses on the road and improve transit service in their community. The grants, administered by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Transit Administration, were made possible
By John & Nisha Whitehead We’re not dealing with a government that exists to serve its people, protect their liberties and ensure their happiness. Rather, we are the unfortunate victims of the diabolical machinations of a make-works program carried out on an epic scale whose only purpose is to keep
By Andrew Adams Next time you attend a parade, there might be an eye in the sky. A new law signed by governor JB Pritzker Friday, June 16 expands local police departments’ authority to use drones to surveil certain events, respond to certain 911 calls, inspect buildings, and participate in
By Jason Crane The Aurora City Council shared heart-felt thoughts on the late Aurora Ward 7 alderwoman Scheketa Hart-Burns, 68, at the Committee of the Whole (COW) meeting, Tuesday, June 20. First elected in 1991 to serve Aurora’s Ward 7 residents, alderwoman Hart-Burns, Aurora’s first black elected official on City
U.S. Congressman Sean Casten (IL-06) released the following statement regarding the shooting in Willowbrook, Ill. Sunday, June 18: “I’m heartbroken to see the news from Willowbrook this morning. We live in a tragic reality where you cannot go to school, go to the grocery store, go to your place of
Congressman Bill Foster (D-IL) led eight of his Democratic colleagues in introducing a resolution June 15 that calls on the Secretary of Defense to authorize Dreamers to serve in the armed services. “For many Dreamers, the United States is the only home they have ever known. Every American deserves the
Mayor of Aurora, Richard Irvin, shared his thoughts after hearing the news of the death of Aurora alderwoman Scheketa Hart-Burns, at Aurora’s Juneteenth Flag-Raising Ceremony, Monday, June 19.“Scheketa was a mother, a sister. We called her the dean of the alderman.“Most importantly, she was a friend of so many.“She will
