The City of Aurora and the Aurora Civic Center Authority (ACCA) have reached an agreement on operating support of $2 million in 2026, ensuring ACCA can continue running its four live performance spaces throughout downtown Aurora, as well as the Paramount School of the Arts. The agreement, brokered in partnership
At a special meeting on Wednesday night, the Aurora City Council unanimously approved a City Ordinance that prohibits the use of City property for civil immigration enforcement activities. The Ordinance is specifically tailored to prohibit the use of any City-owned and controlled property, including parking lots, buildings, or parks, as a
By Ben SzalinskiCapitol News Illinoisbszalinski@capitolnewsillinois.com U.S. senator Dick Durbin is once again at odds with other prominent Illinois Democrats over a vote that set in motion a plan to end the record-long federal government shutdown. Durbin, who is not seeking reelection in 2026, was one of eight members in the
By John & Nisha Whitehead America has been backsliding into kleptocratic territory for years now, but this may finally be it. A kleptocracy is literally “rule by thieves.” It is a form of government in which a network of ruling elites “steal public funds for their own private gain using
By Ben SzalinskiCapitol News Illinoisbszalinski@capitolnewsillinois.com Illinois lawmakers are sending a bill to governor JB Pritzker that makes a pair of changes to Illinois’ tax code in response to new federal tax provisions that could reduce state revenue. The Governor’s Office of Management and Budget projected last month that Illinois is
By Peter HancockCapitol News Illinoisphancock@capitolnewsillinois.com The Illinois House rejected a bill Thursday that would have given the state Department of Insurance authority to regulate homeowners’ insurance rates. Governor JB Pritzker had called for the legislation in July after State Farm Insurance announced it was raising rates for property and casualty
By Jason Crane The Aurora City Council met from 5 p.m. to nearly 11 p.m. to listen to dozens of speakers after allowing extra time for comments at the Tuesday, Nov. 4 Committee of the Whole and City Council meetings. The Council agreed to work on the language of an
November 3, 2025Dear editor; Property taxes in Illinois are too high and the highest of any state in the U.S., recently surpassing New Jersey. I remember 30 years ago, as a freshman State senator assigned to the Revenue Committee because of my tax background, working on the as “Low-Income Senior
Working to uplift local families, this week State representative Stephanie Kifowit, D-Oswego, backed an energy plan to reduce home energy costs, expanded the senior property tax freeze, supported transit reform and recognized individuals impacted by scarring alopecia. “We took needed action this veto session to address rising home energy prices,”
From the vault, September 6, 2018 (revised): In a previous essay, I declared that capitalism was the worst economic system ever devised by the minds of men. It has engendered greed and corruption on a massive scale and is diametrically opposed to democracy, i.e. the wealth of the few vs.
By John & Nisha Whitehead Monsters don’t always come wrapped in the trappings of horror or myth. Most often, monsters in the real world look like ordinary people. They walk among us. They smile for the cameras. They promise protection and prosperity even as they feed on fear and obedience.
By Peter HancockCapitol News Illinoisphancock@capitolnewsillinois.com An Illinois House panel Wednesday, Oct. 29 advanced a bill aimed at reforming a state pension plan known as the “Tier 2” system, but only with the understanding that negotiations will continue and no final action will be taken until next spring at the earliest.
By Maggie DoughertyCapitol News Illinoismdougherty@capitolnewsillinois.com Illinois mother of four and food delivery driver Aubrey Lewandowski says she immediately started rationing the food she had left after getting a text alerting her that her Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, benefits may not come through next month. Lewandowski will be forced
By Ben SzalinskiCapitol News Illinoisbszalinski@capitolnewsillinois.com Illinois lawmakers approved new funding for public transportation agencies without large statewide tax increases previously proposed. Instead, the measure would be fueled by revenue sources that currently feed the state’s Road Fund and an increased sales tax targeted to the Chicago area. The bill frustrated
The City of Aurora has been named one of the safest cities in the United States, ranking No. 33 overall and No. 17 in the category of “Home & Community Safety” in WalletHub’s 2025 Safest Cities in America study. The national study compared 182 of the country’s largest cities using
By Ben SzalinskiCapitol News Illinoisbszalinski@capitolnewsillinois.com Illinois joined 24 other states and the District of Columbia in suing the Donald Trump administration over plans to stop funding the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Saturday as the federal government shutdown continues. About 1.9 million people in Illinois, and about 42 million people
By Brenden MooreCapitol News Illinoisbmoore@capitolnewsillinois.com While candidates filed petitions Monday to run under Illinois’ existing congressional district lines, U.S. House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries brought his redistricting campaign to Illinois, pitching top state Democrats on a new map in a series of closed-door meetings. Dozens of congressional candidates were in
By Jason Crane The Aurora City Council listened to dozens of speakers in a standing-room-only crowd after agreeing to allow nearly an hour of extra time for public comments at the Tuesday, Oct. 28 City Council meeting. The majority of speakers expressed anger and sadness about the recent actions of
Joint statement from Aurora Rapid Response Team and Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights Saturday, Oct. 25, Aurora experienced an escalation of ICE and CBP activity, putting everyone in our city in danger. It is clear that ICE is an unaccountable, rogue agency that exists only to harm our
Once again, like the sun rising over the Great Lakes, there is an opinion in the news that disrespects the hardworking people who give so much to our state. Over the past three years, my committee and I have been working on a comprehensive package to retain and attract dedicated
