By John Whitehead The 2020 presidential election may be over, but nothing really has changed. The U.S. government still poses the greatest threat to our freedoms. More than terrorism, more than domestic extremism, more than gun violence and organized crime, even more than the perceived threat posed by any single
By Sarah Mansur An appeals court has handed down a favorable ruling to governor JB Pritzker in a legal challenge to his administration’s restrictions on bars and restaurants to curb the spread of COVID-19. The 2nd District Appellate Court overruled a Kane County judge’s decision to temporarily block Pritzker’s indoor
State representative Stephanie Kifowit, 84th District, who announced in October to be seeking the nomination of speaker of the Illinois House, released the following statement about the recent November 3 election results. Kifowit ran uncontested in her District which includes Oswego, Aurora, and Naperville. “It is clear from the result,
By Jason Crane Discussion about some restaurants in Aurora continuing to provide indoor service during the shutdown was a part of the Aurora city government City Council meeting Tuesday, through the Zoom video conference platform. Alex Alexandrou, chief administrative services officer for the city government of Aurora said, “We have
By Jason Crane The Montgomery Village Board discussed and unanimously approved an architectural agreement with Williams Architects for design and consulting services for a new public works building at the Village Board meeting Monday, through the Zoom video conference platform. The Village Board reviewed the public works space needs analysis
Illinois governor JB Pritzker Monday announced additional COVID-19 mitigations for Regions 7 and 8, including Kane, DuPage, and Will Counties, three of Aurora’s four counties. Because of consistently increasing COVID positivity rates, the regions will move into Tier 2 of the State’s COVID Mitigation Plan as of Wednesday, Nov. 11.
By John W. Whitehead The American people remain eager to be persuaded that a new president in the White House can solve the problems that plague us. Yet, no matter he winner of the November 3 presidential election, you can rest assured that the new boss will be the same
By Peter Hancock As the dust settled after Tuesday’s general election in Illinois, Republicans in the State patted themselves on the back after making gains, while high-ranking Democrats pushed back against embattled State party leader Michael Madigan. “I’m going to give ourselves an A because before Tuesday, the House Republicans
By Jerry Nowicki Although nearly 3.6 Million Illinoisans had already voted by Monday morning, according to the Illinois State Board of Elections, nearly 2.3 Million ballots were still to be cast if the State is to match the 70.56% turnout of 2016. As of Monday, there were 586,709 mail-in ballots
By Peter Hancock As State leaders continue to face push-back from the restaurant industry and even some county and municipal governments regarding COVID-19 mitigation measures, governor JB Pritzker Tuesday put pressure squarely on the shoulders of local elected officials. “The fact is that local officials who are not doing the
First of two parts Here’s how Native Americans’ right to vote has been systematically violated for generations In the new book, Voting in Indian Country, The View from the Trenches, Jean Reith Schroedel weaves together historical and contemporary voting rights conflicts on the eve of the November 3 election. She
By Jason Crane Discussions about a residence requirement for city of Aurora police and fire employees was part of the Aurora city government Committee of the Whole meeting Tuesday, through the Zoom video conference platform. Rules, Administration and Procedures (RAP) Committee chairperson, alderman Carl Franco, gave an update about the
By Jason Crane The North Aurora Village Board, through the Zoom video conference platform, discussed at the Committee of the Whole meeting Monday, to create a program to assist food establishments with costs associated with outdoor dining in the Winter due to indoor dining restrictions because of COVID-19. Six establishments
By John W. Whitehead Things are falling apart. How much longer we can sustain the fiction that we live in a constitutional republic, I cannot say, but anarchy is being loosed upon the Nation. We are witnessing the unraveling of the American dream one injustice at a time. Day after
As Election Day draws closer, Americans are being inundated with polls about the state of the presidential race. And understandably, many are wondering whether polls can be trusted after Donald Trump’s surprise victory in 2016. A better question to ask may be what, exactly, are we trusting polls to do?
By Peter Hancock Heading into the final weekend before Election Day, Illinois voters continue to set records for advance voting, and election officials are urging anyone who has not yet turned in their mail ballot to do so as quickly as possible. “Whether you do that by mail, or by
The following is letter sent to governor JB Pritzker from Aurora mayor Richard C. Irvin on behalf of restaurants and bars in the State’s second-largest city. “Dear Governor Pritzker: “I am writing to you on behalf of the small businesses in the Aurora community. Aurora is the second largest city
By Jason Crane At the Aurora city government City Council meeting Tuesday, through the Zoom video conferencing platform, the City Council approved the purchase and installation of a body-worn camera system for the Aurora Police Department (APD). The approval is another step in a lengthy process due to budget considerations
The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) has issued resurgence mitigation measures beginning Friday, October 23 for Illinois Region 8 which includes Kane and DuPage Counties. Tier 1 restrictions are imposed on restaurants, bars and social gatherings. Indoor bar and restaurant service is prohibited. Social gatherings (including weddings and funerals)
By Jason Crane At the Aurora city government Committee of the Whole meeting Tuesday, through the Zoom video conferencing platform, included was a discussion by the Aurora City Council about an increase in compensation for the mayor and aldermen. Mayor Richard Irvin recused himself from the discussion to avoid any
