By Peter Hancock Financial aid is about to start flowing for Illinois businesses that have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity published emergency rules this week to implement the Business Interruption Grant program, or BIG. Those rules took effect July 21 when they
By Peter Hancock Republicans in the Illinois House Tuesday, July 21 called on Democratic governor JB Pritzker to convene a special session of the General Assembly to focus on ethics reform. During a video news conference, repsentatives Grant Wehrli, Deanne Mazzochi, and Dan Ugaste said there is an urgent need
By Peter Hancock One of the State’s largest teachers’ unions said Monday that most schools in Illinois are not yet ready to reopen for in-person teaching in the fall and it urged schools to continue operating remotely until the safety of students, teachers, and staff members can be assured. “At
By Peter Hancock Illinois House speaker Michael Madigan Thursday, July 9 called for removing statues and portraits of the 19th Century U.S. senator Stephen A Douglas from the Statehouse along with other known slaveholders. “While reading Sidney Blumenthal’s book ‘All the Powers of Earth’ concerning the pre-Civil War period a
By Peter Hancock State officials in Illinois reacted with cautious relief Thursday after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the Donald Trump administration’s attempt to dismantle an Obama-era policy known as the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. That program, known as DACA, allows some undocumented immigrants to remain in
By Peter Hancock Residents in Illinois who still owe money on private, nonfederal student loans can now qualify for temporary relief while the COVID-19 pandemic continues. Meanwhile, families with school-age children who receive food assistance will qualify for additional benefits. Governor JB Pritzker announced those new relief efforts Tuesday as
By Peter Hancock The Illinois comptroller’s office borrowed $105 Million from various funds in March, in large part so it could make bigger-than-normal payments to hospitals as they brace for the peak of the COVID-19 outbreak later this month. But Illinois comptroller Susana Mendoza is advising all State vendors that
By Peter Hancock Illinois residents are being directed to continue staying home, and schools will continue to be closed for on-site instruction through April 30, governor JB Pritzker said Tuesday. Pritzker made that announcement during a news conference Tuesday in Chicago. The Illinois Department of Public Health reported 937 new
By Peter Hancock More than 114,000 workers in Illinois filed first-time unemployment claims in the week ending Saturday, March 21 as the United States saw its biggest one-week spike in recorded history with 3.2 Million workers filing for benefits. The U.S. Department of Labor report the seasonally-adjusted number was due
By Peter Hancock Governor JB Pritzker said Tuesday the State is stockpiling medical supplies and working to expand its hospital capacity, even by converting some closed hotels into isolation facilities, as it braces for a sharp increase in demand due to the outbreak of the novel coronavirus disease, COVID-19 (coronavirus).
By Peter Hancock Illinois governor JB Pritzker took an unprecedented step Sunday to stem the spread of the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic by ordering bars and restaurants in Illinois to close to the public starting Tuesday, March 17, which is both St. Patrick’s Day and Illinois’ Primary Election Day. Establishments will
By Peter Hancock One day after delivering his budget proposal to the General Assembly in Springfield, Democratic governor JB Pritzker was in Chicago Thursday, Feb. 20 to round up support for his proposed increases in higher education funding. Speaking at the University of Illinois at Chicago, Pritzker highlighted his proposal
By PETER HANCOCK A group of Illinois lawmakers Tuesday, Feb. 18 declined to block the Illinois State Police from implementing new administrative rules governing firearms dealers. Those rules were adopted on an emergency basis in January, nearly one year after Democratic governor J.B. Pritzker signed the Firearms Dealer License Certification
By Peter Hancock A task force formed to study ways to reduce property tax burden on Illinois residents is calling for consolidation of school districts and other units of government and a boost in the State’s share of funding for K-12 education. Those and other recommendations are part of a
By Peter Hancock One year ago, January 14, 2019, Democratic Party governor, JB Pritzker, was sworn into office. A billionaire businessman from Chicago with no prior experience as an elected official, he took the reins of a State government that was on the brink of insolvency. A massive pension debt
