By Jerry Nowicki With two months to go before the adjournment of Illinois’ Spring legislative session, governor JB Pritzker’s State budgeting task may have gotten easier Tuesday, March 7. The Commission on Government Forecasting Accountability increased its revenue estimate for the current fiscal year by $575 million, yet another positive
March 6, 2023Dear editor; When I was growing up in the 1950s my mom was a single parent raising my three older brothers and me on a low-paid job and no food assistance. I remember when I was six years old leaving food on my plate each night that she
The Community Foundation of the Fox River Valley accepted a record 1,232 applications for its 2023-2024 scholarship cycle, a nearly 50% increase over last year. Applicants ranged in age from 16 to 58 years old, an indication of how the Community Foundation offers scholarship opportunities for students of all ages.
By Jerry Nowicki Governor JB Pritzker’s second-term legislative agenda will begin in earnest next week when he proposes his fifth annual State budget to lawmakers in the General Assembly. Although a governor’s proposal usually provides framework for the State’s annual spending plan, it rarely makes it through the General Assembly
The 2023 Inspire Scholarships are now open for applications. The scholarship program, sponsored by the Batavia Chamber of Commerce, will be given to Batavia Public School District 101 high school seniors, with up to four awards given. The four scholarships, worth $1,000 each, are motivated by the makeup of the
Members of Knights of Columbus Council 14929 at Our Lady of Good Counsel (OLGC) Catholic Church in Aurora pose with a $925 donation to Aurora’s Association for Individual Development (AID).
Earnings for active duty military service or active duty training have been covered under Social Security since 1957. If you served in the military before 1957, you didn’t pay Social Security taxes, you receive special credit for some of your service. You can get both Social Security (SSAN) benefits and
The Community Foundation of the Fox River Valley (CFFRV) has announced a one-time extension of its Scholarship Program application deadline to 4 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023. “We recognize what a busy time of the year this is for students, their parents, and our schools so we decided to offer
The Aurora Police Department’s Crisis Intervention Unit (CIU) recently received a significant grant award that will help forward the Unit’s mission to provide mental health and crisis resources to community members. The 2022 Community Policing Crisis Intervention Unit grant, which totals $294,657.51, was awarded to the CIU by the United
Cosmopolitan Club of Aurora presents $8,000 for diabetes awareness, education, and research, to Rush-Copley Medical Center in Aurora.
The DuPage County Board Tuesday, Nov. 22 unanimously approved its Fiscal Year 2023 budget, which includes a balanced, $584.1 million spending plan and a reduction in property taxes for homeowners. Due to conservative financial planning, DuPage County is projected to finish the 2022 Fiscal Year with a surplus of $40
Marie Wilkinson Food Pantry’s volunteers are busy at the Pantry as you can imagine! The week before Thanksgiving is always full of excitement. Thank you for the generous support, allowing us to share the abundance with households most in need. In spite of the very real effects of inflation, with
The Aurora-based Fox Valley Marines presented $5,000 checks to four local food pantries in honor of Veterans Day.
By Chris Lauzen, Aurora, Ill. As Kane County treasurer candidate, former eight-year elected Board chairman, and 20-year State senator, as a CPA, MBA, challenge the Kane County Board’s ruling majority to increase its FY 11/30/23 investment income revenue projections by $2,000,000, thereby reducing the currently- proposed deficit-spending and use of
October 19, 2022Dear editor; An open letter to the Aurora City Council, esteemed alderpeople: I write to you today so that your friends, family, and neighbors will read it and perhaps discuss its contents with you. Most of us are probably not tuned in to all the comings and goings
By Jason Crane The Aurora City Council listened to many citizens at the Tuesday, Oct. 18 Committee of the Whole meeting. They were against a proposal to supply $50 Million in municipal bonds for a new casino to be built. • Eight individuals used their voices for up to three
Thursday, Sept. 29, congressman Bill Foster (D-IL) announced that Aurora and Joliet were awarded grants by the Department of Justice to prevent and control crime based on their needs. These grants, created by the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Program, will provide the cities with critical funding to support a
Alexander Kennedy, left, Stamp Act PAC director, receives a donation from the Kendall County Republican Party Steering Committee.
By Jerry Nowicki Governor JB Pritzker announced a plan Tuesday, Sept. 27 to reduce a $1.8 billion Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund deficit by $450 million through an infusion of unemployment-related revenues. The trust fund is the pool of money paid into by employers to provide a social safety net for
Maybe you’ve wondered what is going on when you’ve watched teachers, or airline pilots on the picket line recently, or noted the narrowly-averted strike last week of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen. There are two fairly simple reasons: • Reasonable days off; The Locomotive Engineers who nearly walked
