By Jerry Nowicki & Peter Hancock In the Tuesday, Nov. 8, election, Illinois voters will cast a ballot on a State constitutional amendment, every statewide constitutional office, every seat in the General Assembly and, in 12 counties, a spot on the State’s Supreme Court. For more information about voting, including
By Jerry Nowicki Early voting hours and locations greatly were expanded across the State this week as the campaign season entered its final two-week stretch. Polling places opened across the city of Chicago as well. Information on early voting for each election authority can be found on the Illinois State
By Jerry Nowicki Much of the talk from supporters of the SAFE-T Act criminal justice reform has in recent days centered on how it will or will not be amended before January 1, 2023 when cash bail will be abolished in Illinois as part of a provision known as the
By Peter Hancock Attorney General Kwame Raoul accused his Republican challenger Thomas DeVore of making “dangerous” remarks, while DeVore accused the Democratic incumbent of failing the State’s school students by not challenging governor JB Pritzker’s COVID-19 mitigations. The charges and countercharges came during a nearly hour-long debate organized by the
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
By Jerry Nowicki The Illinois government Tuesday this week announced the award of the first electric vehicle manufacturing-targeted tax incentives made possible by a law signed by governor JB Pritzker last year. The incentives come from the Reimagining Electric Vehicles (REV) Act, which passed nearly unanimously and became law in
By Peter Hancock Five years ago this month, Illinois lawmakers passed legislation that overhauled the way public schools in the State are funded. The so-called Evidence Based Funding formula, or EBF, was designed to calculate the actual cost for each district to provide the kind of education the State expects,
By Jerry Nowicki In a series of downstate news conferences coinciding with the Illinois State Fair, governor JB Pritzker this week gave an update on the possibility of a special session, outlined new State infrastructure investments, and announced a new program for some Illinoisans over age 55. Although the governor
By Peter Hancock Democratic Party governor JB Pritzker said this week that he is actively reaching out to businesses in Indiana and other states that recently have passed restrictive abortion laws in hopes of luring those companies to Illinois. “Well, all ready I’ve reached out to companies that are affected
By Jerry Nowicki Ten months after Illinois lawmakers passed the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act which set a goal of putting one million electric vehicles on State roads by the end of the decade, State agencies are engaged in a flurry of regulatory planning aimed at meeting those goals. The
By Jerry Nowicki Governor JB Pritzker issued a public health emergency declaration and declared Illinois a disaster area in response to the monkeypox virus Monday this week, a move his assistants said would help mobilize resources. The governor’s office personnel said the proclamation will aid in moving vaccines to the
By Jerry Nowicki Illinois Democrats are vying to make Chicago the host city for the Democratic National Convention in 2024 while considering who will lead their party for the next four years. Meanwhile, the State’s Republican Party is hearing calls for a censure of one of its sitting congressmen, Adam
By Jerry Nowicki Governor JB Pritzker has tested positive for COVID-19 and is isolating at home, his office personnel announced Tuesday, July 19three days after he spoke at a gathering of Democrats in Tampa, Fla.. Pritzker’s press office indicated he is experiencing mild symptoms and has received the anti-viral medication
By Peter Hancock The Illinois State Police (ISP) announced Monday it will start using a broader definition of what constitutes a “clear and present danger” when reviewing a person’s Firearm Owners Identification (FOID) card. That’s a factor ISP considers when deciding whether to grant someone a FOID card or to
By Peter Hancock In the wake of a July 4 mass shooting in Highland Park that left seven persons dead and dozens more injured, governor JB Pritzker is calling for a ban at both the State and national levels on military-style assault rifles and high-capacity magazines. The governor made those
By Peter Hancock Governor JB Pritzker and top Democratic Party leaders in the Illinois General Assembly said Tuesday , July 5that although they still plan to call a special session this year to strengthen abortion rights, they expect to take the “remainder of the Summer” to craft policies before lawmakers
By Peter Hancock A federal judge in Chicago handed down a one-year prison sentence Tuesday for a former State senator who once was chairperson of the Senate Labor Committee. Tom Cullerton, a Villa Park Democrat, pleaded guilty earlier this year to one count of embezzlement for receiving salary and benefits
By Beth Hundsdorfer A state audit released Thursday, June 16 found nearly $2 billion in federal money intended to help unemployed Illinoisans during the pandemic was lost to fraudulent claims in Illinois. The Illinois Department of Employment Security blamed “insufficient and flawed federal guidance” and a lack of controls on
By Peter Hancock A new survey released this week suggests Illinoisans are more moderate on the issue of abortion than the current Democratic Party-controlled General Assembly, but it is unclear whether that will cost Democrats votes in November. The poll by the Chicago-based firm Ogden & Fry, which is owned
By Peter Hancock Governor JB Pritzker signed legislation Tuesday, May 31 that will pump an additional $700 million annually into Medicaid-funded nursing homes, provided they use that money to increase staff members and wages in their facilities. “This is truly a game changer,” Pritzker said at a bill signing ceremony
