Category: Government

Pritzker calls for leaders to tone down rhetoric

By Ben SzalinskiCapitol News Illinoisbszalinski@capitolnewsillinois.com Governor JB Pritzker said political leaders — starting with president Donald Trump — need to do more to condemn political violence. “He actively fans the flames of division, as he did on Friday, regularly advocates violence for political retribution, and in more than one case,

Jim Edgar, former Ill. governor, dies at 79

By Hannah Meisel& Jerry NowickiCapitol News Illinoisnews@capitolnewsillinois.com Jim Edgar, Illinois’ 38th governor who served from 1991 to 1999, died Sunday after disclosing an aggressive cancer diagnosis earlier this year. He was 79. Though he’d been out of power for 26 years — more time than the two decades he spent

Aurora City Council listens to thoughts on Sept. 12 flag raising

By Jason Crane The Aurora City Council listened to many public comments, both in support of and against the decision of Aurora mayor John Laesch to raise municipal flags Friday, Sept. 12, after the flags were lowered in remembrance of lives lost in the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks. President Donald

League of Women Voters of Illinois endorses Fair State Maps

In the shadow of midterm gerrymandering wars for U.S. Congressional seats, Illinois voters may soon face a new ballot measure aimed at curbing partisan map-drawing for legislative districts within Illinois set to take effect after the 2030 census. Partisan gerrymandering reduces political debate and competition in our elections. It also

Reader’s Voice: Kifowit: Kids Expo & Touch-A-Truck

September 14, 2025Dear editor; Thank you to everyone who joined us this past weekend for my Annual Kids Expo & Touch-A-Truck. We had such a wonderful turnout, and it was heartwarming to see so many families and children come together to enjoy the day. Kids climbed aboard police cars, fire

Reader’s Voice: Thanks for all the help Dems

September 13, 2025Dear editor; I just want to thank the activist democrats, not all democrats, and the democratic so called leadership, whoever they are, for making the next election cycle a little easier for us Republicans to win. You would like to think by now they may have learned something

Aurora disrespects with flag

State representative Jed Davis expressed deep concern over Aurora’s mayor raising flags to full staff before the conclusion of governor JB Pritzker’s official half-staff order, which remained in effect through sunset Sunday, Sept. 14. “The Governor’s half-staff directive was clear and carries the force of state law under the Illinois

Reader’s Commentary: Free speech under fire, radicalization of our youth

By Bela “Bill” Suhayda I began writing to The Voice because of the horrific things I came across in the editorial/opinion sections of this publication. I wanted to push back against the hatred, the shameful name calling, the lies and fabrications contained on some of these pages. So I asked

Congressman Bill Foster statement on voting against NDAA

Congressman Bill Foster (D-IL) issued the following statement after voting against the House Republican version of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for FY26. “In Congress, the NDAA has historically been a bipartisan process focused on strengthening our national security and supporting service members and their families. I’m disappointed that

Illinois among blue states to keep public health dollars

By Anna Claire Vollersstateline.orgavollers@stateline.org After the Donald Trump administration slashed billions in state and local public health funding from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention earlier this year, the eventual impact on states split sharply along political lines. Democratic-led states that sued to block the cuts, including Illinois,

Reader’s Voice: Former mayor corrections on casino

September 9, 2025Dear editor; A recent columnist in The Voice got it wrong about incentives given to Hollywood Casino when it came to Aurora in the early 1990s. The writer stated that “Aurora invested a load of money (a gamble) to bring the casino to Aurora.” In fact, the Hollywood

Reader’s Voice: The Country’s corrupted conscience

September 6, 2025Dear editor; It’s a hypocrisy that the man who is leading our Nation is a convicted criminal who wants our respect. A man who also attempted to overturn the 2020 election by promoting false public accusations that resulted in violence at the capital, then rewarded those participants with

Stephanie Kifowit: Protect constitutional freedoms over political theater

The federal government is choosing to send troops into Chicago rather than focusing on the real threats to our families’ safety and well-being. Our Nation is grappling with the tragedy of yet another school shooting in Minnesota, a cost-of-living crisis and a deterioration of due process. The state of Illinois

What the data says about Social Security in the U.S.

By Drew DeSilverPew Research Center Few if any programs of the U.S. government touch as many people as directly as Social Security. Nearly every working American pays Social Security taxes, and more than 55 million people receive retirement benefits through the program. Millions more also collect disability benefits or cash