By Peter Hancock Some Illinois lawmakers are calling for a review of one of the tests prospective teachers must pass in order to be licensed in Illinois. The test is known as the Teacher Performance Assessment, or “edTPA,” and it is intended to determine whether a prospective teacher has the
By Peter Hancock Moody’s Investors Service announced Tuesday, March 14 that it has upgraded Illinois’ bond rating to A3, up from Baa1, marking the eighth credit upgrade the State has received in less than two years. Moody’s is now the second major rating agency to put Illinois in the ‘A’
By Peter Hancock A temporary restraining order that partially blocks Illinois’ new assault weapons ban from being enforced will remain in place after a divided State appellate court panel’s ruling Tuesday, Jan. 31. The restraining order was issued Jan. 20 by Effingham County Circuit Judge Joshua Morrison, but it applies
By Peter Hancock On the first full day of his second term, governor JB Pritzker Tuesday, Jan. 10 signed a bill banning the sale, distribution, and manufacture, of high-power assault weapons, .50 caliber rifles and ammunition, and large-capacity magazines, while still allowing those who already own such weapons to keep
By Peter Hancock Illinois House Republican Leader Jim Durkin will left the Illinois Statehouse Tuesday, Jan. 10 for the last time as a State legislator. After a bruising 2022 election cycle in which House Republicans lost five seats, Durkin did not seek another term as leader of the caucus. But
By Peter Hancock Some of the State’s leading law enforcement officials Tuesday, Dec. 20 urged lawmakers to pass a statewide ban on high-power, high-capacity, weapons, which they say are growing in prevalence in Illinois. “What the public asks members of the law enforcement community to do each and every day
By Peter Hancock Victims and survivors of multiple mass shootings urged State lawmakers Monday, Dec. 12 to pass a ban on assault weapons, arguing that communities throughout Illinois have felt the pain of deadly mass shootings. “I was shot multiple times on the Fourth of July in Highland Park,” Lauren
By Peter Hancock Illinois voters have approved a State constitutional amendment guaranteeing workers the right to organize and engage in collective bargaining. Estimates compiled by multiple media outlets projected Tuesday, Nov. 15 that the ballot measure had support on an estimated 53% of the total ballots cast in the election,
By Peter Hancock Democratic Party governor JB Pritzker was crisscrossing the State Monday, Nov. 7 and his Republican Party challenger, State senator Darren Bailey, focused on the Chicago suburbs. They both made their final pitches to voters ahead of the Tuesday, Nov. 8 general election. Pritzker, along with other Democrats
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 Peter Hancock Illinois voters will be asked in November to decide whether the right of workers to form unions and engage in collective bargaining should be enshrined in the State constitution. The first clause of the amendment contains two sentences. The first would establish a “fundamental right to organize
By Peter Hancock Governor JB Pritzker announced Monday this week that Illinois taxpayers soon will start receiving rebates of their income and property taxes, either in the mail or by direct bank deposits. Speaking at a news conference in Chicago where he was flanked by other State officials and Democratic
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 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 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 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
