By John W. Whitehead & Nisha Whitehead It is time to recalibrate the government. For years, we have suffered the injustices, cruelties, corruption and abuse of an entrenched government bureaucracy that has no regard for the Constitution or the rights of the citizenry. By “government,” I’m not referring to the
By Jerry Nowicki Illinois will have new COVID-19 guidance on face coverings after the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) updated its guidance Tuesday to reflect that even individuals vaccinated against COVID-19 should wear masks while indoors in areas of the country where the virus is surging. CDC
By Jason Crane At the Aurora city government City Council meeting Tuesday, City Council members gave a standing ovation to retiring Police Chief Kristen Ziman. She started her law enforcement career in 1991 as a cadet and in 1994 was sworn in as an officer and in 2003 as sergeant.
By Peter Hancock Illinois residents will soon have greater access to mental health services under measures Gov. JB Pritzker signed into law Friday. Starting January 1, most insurance companies doing business in Illinois will be required to provide their beneficiaries with timely and proximate access to treatment for mental, emotional,
By John LaeschAurora We need Rachel Ventura’s voice in our political system. It is rare to find hard-working, trusted elected officials who are willing to go to the mat for working families and those who do not have a voice in our political system. As long as I have known
By John W. Whitehead & Nisha Whitehead History has a funny way of circling back on itself. The facts, figures, faces, and technology, may change from era to era, but the dangers remain the same. This year is no different, whatever the politicians and talking heads may say to the
Aurora mayor Richard C. Irvin announced last week his choices for Aurora’s next chief of police, deputy chief, and deputy mayor, all veterans of the Aurora Police Department. “At the inauguration ceremony in May, I said the best is yet to come,” said mayor Irvin. “These three leaders are some
By Jerry Nowicki Lawyers for Illinois’ Democratic Party legislative leaders last week filed a motion to dismiss a lawsuit from Republicans and a Mexican American advocacy group regarding newly drawn legislative maps, calling the challenge “purely speculative” until full U.S. Census data is released. The motion, filed Friday, was an
By Jerry Nowicki Democratic Party governor JB Pritzker announced Monday he will seek a second term, joined once again by Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton as a running mate. In a three-minute kickoff video ending with the tagline “strong leadership in tough times,” the governor emphasized his response to the COVID-19
By Peter Hancock Republican Party lawmakers in Illinois are renewing their call for ethics reform following the resignation Wednesday of the General Assembly’s top watchdog, Legislative inspector general Carol Pope. “Inspector Pope has proven to be a dedicated public servant representing the people of Illinois and their desire for a
By Jason Crane At the Aurora city government Committee of the Whole meeting Tuesday, the City Council viewed a presentation of a proposed $70 million development of 246 apartments on 1.93 acres of land south of RiverEdge Park at 100 North Broadway between the Aurora Township building and Jake’s Bagels
July 15, 2021Dear editor, Following the announcement of the resignation of legislative inspector general (IG) Carol Pope, State representative Mark Batinick (R-Plainfield) released the following statement: “Legislative inspector general Pope’s resignation letter speaks to the glaring issues that prevent this position from providing meaningful accountability in the General Assembly. Illinoisans
By Bela “Bill” SuhaydaSugar Grove I’m almost sure most of you remember March 2020. Closing down a country tends to create an indelible memory of dates and events. During that month, executives of Silicon Valley met with officials in Washington, D.C. to determine how much Americans would be allowed to
State representative Barbara Hernandez, D-Aurora, is informing residents of news from the Secretary of State’s Office that driver’s licenses and state ID card expiration dates have been extended. “Many driver’s facilities have experienced high volumes of individuals visiting since facilities have reopened during the pandemic, so the Secretary of State’s
By Jerry Nowicki The State’s higher education agencies released updated COVID-19 guidance Monday encouraging all public and private higher education institutions in Illinois to issue mandatory vaccine policies. “Vaccination against COVID-19 is now widely available, and all persons over the age of 12 are eligible,” the guidance document reads. “Vaccination
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
