March 8, 2022Dear editor; A year ago January, governor JB Pritzker signed the SAFE-T Act into law. The Safety Accountability, Fairness & Equity Today Act was quickly drafted and un-vetted. Ultimately, it has not demonstrated its purported outcomes of making Illinois neighborhoods safer. This legislation was sent to the Governor’s
By JERRY NOWICKIPETER HANCOCKBETH HUNDSDORFER& GRACE KINNICUTTCapitol News Illinoisnews@capitolnewsillinois.com Longtime Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan was indicted Wednesday by a federal grand jury on 22 counts for allegedly using his position as the top House Democrat to solicit “personal financial rewards” for himself and his associates, according to the U.S.
Illinois is known across the land for political corruption. I always get a hearty, knowing, chuckle when I tell Rotary Club luncheons that I have worked for three unindicted Illinois governors. True: Ogilvie, Thompson, Edgar. The other four across that era were all measured for striped suits: Kerner, Walker, Ryan,
December 12, 2021Dear editor; I am a white, American, Christian who spent many years in the Evangelical community. I no longer can be complicit by not speaking out how this form of Christianity has turned in ways I cannot accept, or see God’s hand in it. The spiritual, the charismatic,
Late last month, statehouse Democrats and governor JB Pritzker enacted a new map defining the boundaries of central Illinois congressional districts for the next 10 years. Three districts cover territory within a 35-mile radius of Peoria , the 15th, 16th, and 17th. It was my privilege to represent large parts
The recent election of Republican Party’s Glenn Youngkin to be governor in Democratic Party stronghold Virginia displays emphatically that Donald Trump conservatism fares better, without Trump. The conundrum for Republican Party leaders, a weak lot, is how to both double down on this fact in 2022, and keep former president
July 31, 2021Dear editor; There is a movement in the Country that includes some Republicans, some Christians, and some veterans that concern me. The movement is not debatable because most of its ideology is based on untruths. It reminds me of when I was a little girl and the neighborhood
June 28, 2021Dear editor; When one of us is beaten down, we are all beaten down. I have to stand up for the one I feel was beaten down in the Portillo’s Restaurant drive-thru incident May 16 in Oswego. To whitewash the racial aspect does not lessen the trauma felt
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 Bela “Bill’ SuhaydaAurora President Joe Biden promised us he would “Build Back Better!” “The Green New Deal” was going to be about green in our pockets, clean energy, and more ice at the North Pole. But, don’t ask about the solar collectors’ bringing us sunlight energy. You shouldn’t know
May 14, 2021Dear editor; I was wondering how the United States became involved with an attitude of: Us vs. Them within the political arena. It always has been culturally. The divide seems to deepen every day. Many conservatives tend to make judgments of the other that are unfounded. Some of
By Bela “Bill” SuhaydaAurora Any country’s survival is determined by only a few important things. In the case of our country, prosperity, freedom, and overall stability depend on our constitutional and political stability. A strong economy and a reasonably strong currency are key. A strong military is essential to keep
By John W. Whitehead & Nisha Whitehead With all that is crashing down upon us, from government-manipulated crises to the blowback arising from a society that has repeatedly prized technological expedience and mass-marketed values over self-ownership and individual sovereignty, those coming of age today are facing some of the greatest
The public is invited to attend a Zoom panel discussion featuring Kane County chairwoman Corrine Pierog, Batavia mayor Jeffery Schielke, Geneva mayor Kevin Burns, and St. Charles mayor Lora Vitek at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, May 20. They will share perspectives about how our community governments can collaborate regarding recovery act
By Raymon Troncoso The Senate Education Committee advanced several bills Tuesday, May 4, including measures addressing special education, hairstyle discrimination and teaching Asian American history in public schools. Those were among more than a dozen bills to pass the committee, the majority of which passed unanimously without debate or discussion.
As a broken-down professor of American politics, I was asked this question recently: What do the terms conservative and liberal mean today in American political life? I think the question is important because: 1) the human animal craves context to help him or her navigate the world; 2) the terms
By Jim Edgar and John Shaw We announced last Fall that we established the Paul Simon-Jim Edgar Award to celebrate statesmanship in Illinois. Although we have no formula to offer that magically ends partisanship in Illinois, quiets rancor, and forges a sense of shared destiny, we believe this award will
From left, State House speaker Emanuel ‘Chris’ Welch, representative. Keith Wheeler and his wife, Lisa, and House minority leader Jim Durkin at Friday’s representative Wheeler’s open House in North Aurora.
By Tim Kirsininkas The U.S. Census Bureau announced Monday that Illinois will lose a seat in Congress based on the results of the 2020 Census. Illinois will move from 18 to 17 seats in the U.S. House, an expected result after some advocates had warned that an undercount could lead
March 26, 2021Dear editor; We have a mayoral election coming up April 6. I am voting for Judd Lofchie and this is why: • Judd Lofchie is respectful and listens to me and his constituents. By contrast Richard Irvin has behaved rudely toward me and others. I know it because
