Democratic Party mapmakers in Springfield have crafted new legislative districts that are so laughably offensive to the Illinois Constitution that the State Supreme Court either would have to reject them outright, or confirm the Court’s unsavory reputation for partisan political corruptness. Illinois GOP leaders have challenged the remap in Federal
Superintendent Dr. Jeff Craig and West Aurora School Board of Education District 29 recently announced the appointment of two new administrators for the 2021-2022 school year. The appointments were approved during the July 12 regular Board meeting. • The first appointment is Patrick Eschman, who will serve as dean of
By Jerry Nowicki The wide availability of COVID-19 vaccines has changed the State’s approach for mitigating the virus’ spread statewide and in schools. For school districts, that means suggested rather than required guidance, with an emphasis on local control in imposing mitigations. For the governor’s office, that means there are
Oswego Village president Troy Parlier recently was elected the president of the Board of Directors of the Metro West Council of Governments, an organization that represents Oswego and its neighbors in Springfield and Washington on legislation and policies that affect their residents. The MetroWest Council of Governments represents 33 municipalities
By John W. Whitehead & Nisha Whitehead A federal COVID-19 vaccination strike force soon may be knocking on your door, especially if you live in a community with low vaccination rates. Will you let them in? More to the point, are you required to open the door? The Joe Biden
By Bela “Bill” SuhaydaSugar Grove Totalitarianism, communism, and other assorted dictatorial isms have a set of guideposts by which they maintain control over their populations. In their efforts to create their perfect world, which they want the rest of us to enjoy, they build a controlling framework into which we
As restrictions are lifted, the arts and culture sector in Illinois recognizes that continuing to get audiences and communities vaccinated is important for safely returning to in-person arts activities. Artists in 24 regions across Illinois are creating more than 72 pro-vaccination projects this Summer because vaccines are widely available. Aurora
By Peter Hancock Public high schools in Illinois soon will be required to teach students how to gain access and evaluate various kinds of news and social media they see online and elsewhere as part of their regular curriculum. That was among the 53 bills that governor JB Pritzker signed
Close to 100 District-level employees work in one centralized location because East Aurora School District 131 recently opened a new administrative center at 310 Seminary Avenue, Aurora. July 7, a ribbon-cutting ceremony was held in front of the renovated building now serving as the District’s administrative center. Aurora’s mayor Richard
By John W. Whitehead & Nisha Whitehead “A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.” —The Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution You can largely determine where a person will fall
By Peter Hancock Illinois residents who have health coverage through Medicaid now have access to a broad range of services, including mental health counseling, substance abuse treatment, smoking cessation and dental services. Governor JB Pritzker Tuesday signed Senate Bill 2294, which passed unanimously out of both chambers during the Spring
By Jason Crane At the Aurora city government Committee of the Whole meeting Tuesday, the City Council focused on the good and the bad of the Fourth of July weekend. Mayor Richard Irvin said, “The Fourth of July experience was undoubtedly a memorable one.” Mayor Irvin made a reference to
By John W. Whitehead & Nisha Whitehead “If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face—for ever.” — George Orwell, 1984 Tread cautiously: The fiction of George Orwell (June 25, 1903-January. 21, 1950) has become an operation manual for the omnipresent, modern-day, surveillance
By Peter Hancock Illinois received its first credit rating upgrade in 23 years Tuesday when Moody’s Investors Services raised the State’s rating one notch, and cited “material improvement in the State’s finances.” Although the upgrade still leaves Illinois bonds rated just two notches above so-called “junk” status, governor JB Pritzker
By Jerry Nowicki Lawmakers, collegiate athletes, and athletic directors from some of the Illinois’ most prominent universities on Tuesday hailed the governor’s signing of a bill allowing college athletes to be paid for the use of their name and likeness as innovative and equity centric. University of Illinois athletic director
Kane County Board chair person, Corinne Pierog, announced the appointment of St. Charles resident Todd Wallace as the new District 13 Kane County Board member. Wallace, an attorney and St. Charles Township trustee since 2011, fills the vacancy of former Board member Steve Weber who was elected as 5th Ward
By Bela “Bill” SuhaydaAurora During Barack Obama’s two terms as president, the agencies of the Federal government, to include those in law enforcement, such as the NSA, FBI, DOJ, and CIA were filled by political loyalists. For obvious and even practical reasons, law enforcement should take a stance of neutrality
Who’da thunk that a member of the U.S. Congress could come up with a Bold New Idea (BNI)? By and large, career politicians are not high on anyone’s list of favorite persons, except maybe their campaign contributors; they generally tend to be hyper-cautious, self-centered, and glad-handedness. So, when one of
By Peter Hancock The Illinois economy showed strong signs of recovery during the first quarter of this year when businesses continued to reopen from the pandemic and direct government payments flowed to businesses and individual consumers. Data released last week from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) showed the
Naperville City manager Doug Krieger has appointed Jason Arres the interim chief of police of the Naperville Police Department. The appointment was made in advance of Chief Robert Marshall’s retirement July 2, after 44 years with the City of Naperville. Arres, who holds the position of deputy chief of the
