We don't write papers, we build scrapbooks
We don't write papers, we build scrapbooks
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Local journalism is a cornerstone of democracy and a vital source of information for communities across the country, with newsrooms covering local politics, high school sports, local business openings, cultural events, and other matters that help a community remain vibrant and connected. But the industry is facing an existential crisis because of the unyielding power of Big Tech platforms such as Google and Facebook. With less than four weeks left in this Congress, now is the time for the...
Beginning last Friday and lasting through Aug. 14, the state will reduce its sales tax rate from 6.25 percent to 1.25 percent for certain clothing items costing less than $125 and school supplies. The “tax holiday” was included in Gov. JB Pritzker’s “family relief plan,” one prong of several bills making up the Fiscal Year 2023 operating budget. The tax breaks passed with nearly unanimous support in the General Assembly and provided an estimated $1.8 billion in tax relief for Illinoisa...
The grocery bill for a summer cookout will cost U.S. consumers 17% more than last year, according to a new American Farm Bureau Federation market basket survey. The survey focuses on food commonly part of Fourth of July cookouts, including cheeseburgers, pork chops, chicken, homemade potato salad and more. The cost breaks down to $69.68 for 10 people, or about $7 per person, and reflects the largest increase since the annual survey began a decade ago. Inflation, supply chain disruptions and the...
For the first time since lawmakers expanded the state’s hate crime law in 2018, Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul is launching a civil lawsuit against two Illinoisans for allegedly engaging in hate crimes. The lawsuit says two residents of Carroll County in northwest Illinois lynched an effigy of their neighbor, who is Black, to intimidate him. Cheryl Hampton and her adult son, Chad Hampton, both white, also allegedly displayed a Confederate flag and a racial slur in a window facing their n...
The Illinois House passed a bill Wednesday that would reimburse public school teachers for tuition and mandatory fees paid to a public institution of higher education. The measure is intended to promote the retention of teachers, but Republicans said it would skew toward the benefit of wealthy students whose parents paid for their education. In a 70-42 vote, with no Republican support, the House passed House Bill 4139, which would require the Illinois Student Assistance Commission to establish a...
USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service final crop production estimates for 2021 confirm a bin-buster harvest. But strong demand estimates coupled with production issues elsewhere in the world could keep the pressure on prices. Nationwide, soybean production totaled a record 4.44 billion bushels (up 5% from 2020) with an average yield of 51.4 bushels per acre (up 0.4 of a bushel). Corn production was estimated at 15.11 billion bushels (up 7% from 2020 and the second-largest on record) w...
Gov. JB Pritzker said Wednesday that he is "cautiously optimistic" that the recent surge in COVID-19 cases spurred by the omicron variant has peaked, but he cautioned that another variant could appear at any time and continued to urge people to get vaccinated and wear face coverings when in public. "Over the last two years, I've said over and over that you don't know when a surge has reached its peak until you're on the other side of it," Pritzker said during a news conference in Chicago. As of...
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois A capacity crowd packed into the Illinois State Board of Education room on Wednesday as many more stood outside the building to protest the state’s new indoor mask mandate in all public and nonpublic schools. “I'm so tired of hearing how resilient our kids are. Resilience is something you choose,” said Ruby Johnson, a mother of seven children from New Lenox. “Our kids did not choose to be masked all day, unable to see their friends or teachers smile at them...
Nearly every county in Illinois lost population over the past decade, mirroring a national trend of greater concentrations of people leaving rural areas and moving to larger metropolitan areas. That's according to the latest numbers released Thursday, Aug. 12, by the U.S. Census Bureau showing detailed population numbers from the 2020 census for cities, counties and small geographic areas. In April, the Census Bureau released statewide numbers that determine how many congressional seats and Elec...
The Illinois State Board of Education is considering a set of new standards for teachers and administrators that are aimed at making them more sensitive to students of different cultures and backgrounds, but the proposal is sparking controversy among some religious conservatives. The “Culturally Responsive Teaching and Leading” standards would amend current standards that apply to all teachers and administrators by adding a host of new requirements meant to ensure they understand how cer...
The state on Wednesday, July 29, released new guidelines for youth and recreational sports that will drastically limit allowable activities based on the risk of spreading the novel coronavirus. Gov. JB Pritzker announced the new guidelines at a COVID-19-related news conference in Chicago Wednesday, calling it a “situation where the toughest choice is also the safest one.” The guidelines, which classify sports in three tiers of risk based on the likelihood that participation in the sport inc...
Hours after filing a court document implicating – but not charging – Illinois' House Speaker Michael Madigan in a yearslong bribery scheme, federal officials took to the courtyard of the Dirksen Federal Building in Chicago on Friday, July 17, to deliver a message to those engaging in public corruption: "We will find you too." The charges in the document filed Friday are officially against Commonwealth Edison, Illinois' largest electric utility company, which has agreed to pay $200 million and...
Hours after filing a court document implicating – but not charging – Illinois' House Speaker Michael Madigan in a yearslong bribery scheme, federal officials took to the courtyard of the Dirksen Federal Building in Chicago on Friday to deliver a message to those engaging in public corruption: "We will find you too." The charges in the document filed Friday are officially against Commonwealth Edison, Illinois' largest electric utility company, which has agreed to pay $200 million and to con...
Days after the governor donated $51.5 million of his personal fortune to a committee supporting a graduated income tax constitutional amendment, a new coalition has begun an effort to defeat the measure. At stake is Gov. JB Pritzker’s signature policy proposal – a constitutional amendment scrapping the state’s protection of a flat-rate income tax for a new structure allowing lawmakers to tax different levels of income at fluctuating tax rates. A rate structure that would take effect if the a...
Illinois released new guidelines for schools, colleges and universities to return to in-person learning in the fall, but leaders warned those plans could change if health metrics related to the COVID-19 pandemic stop improving. "This fall will not be business as usual, and we will update our guidance as needed," State Superintendent of Education Carmen Ayala said during a news conference Tuesday, June 23, in Chicago. "In response to challenging and changing public health conditions, schools and...
Illinois on Friday, June 26, entered Phase 4 of the state's Restore Illinois reopening plan. In this phase, restaurants and bars may open for indoor dining at fractional capacity as long as they follow state guidelines, and gatherings up to 50 people are allowed. PreK-12 schools, higher education and all summer programs may also open with IDPH approved safety guidance, as could fitness clubs. The state released new guidance for reopening businesses Monday, June 22. Restaurants must arrange...
Illinois advanced to the "Recovery" phase of Gov. JB Pritzker's plan to incrementally reopen the state's economy on Friday, May 29, after almost 70 days of residents living under a stay-at-home restriction. People are still expected to wear facial coverings and practice social distancing when in public places. "Non-essential" businesses and stores, closed for more than two months to in-person customers and workers, can now be open with capacity limitations, social distancing observations and...
An Illinois lawmaker dissatisfied with Gov. JB Pritzker's handling of the large number of COVID-19-related unemployment claims is calling on his colleagues to support an effort to remove the governor from office. Republican Rep. Allen Skillicorn, of Crystal Lake, said lack of staffing at the Illinois Department of Employment Security and its website's disclosure of sensitive information is evidence of Pritzker's "continued inaction." After issuing a news release notifying residents of his...
Republicans in the Illinois General Assembly said Thursday that when lawmakers return to the Capitol next week, they intend to push for changes to Gov. JB Pritzker’s plan for reopening the economy, a plan he dubbed “Restore Illinois.” “I have heard members from both caucuses suggest this plan should be vetted and revised,” Senate Minority Leader Bill Brady, of Bloomington, said in a letter to Senate President Don Harmon (D-Oak Park) that he released to the media. “I also believe this should...
A federal judge in Illinois ruled Sunday that Gov. JB Pritzker's stay-at-home order is constitutional, even though it interferes with people's right to gather in large numbers for worship services. In a decision that came just three days after the complaint was filed, U.S. District Judge John Z. Lee acknowledged that the freedom of religion is a "foundational" right and that the order does, in fact, interfere with the free exercise of that right. "But even the foundational rights secured by the...
A church in northwest Illinois filed a federal lawsuit seeking to block part of Gov. JB Pritzker's stay-at-home executive order, especially its ban on public worship services. The suit was filed by the Thomas More Society, a conservative legal advocacy group, on behalf of Pastor Steve Cassell of Most Beloved Church in Lena, in Stephenson County. The complaint argues the governor's order violates several provisions of both the state and federal constitutions. "The spiritual well-being of the...
A second Republican state representative on Wednesday filed a lawsuit against Gov. JB Pritzker alleging he overstepped his authority in ordering Illinoisans to stay at home to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus. The outcome of Machesney Park Rep. John Cabello's case could affect all state residents, as Cabello filed the suit in Winnebago County on behalf of himself and "all citizens of the state of Illinois similarly situated." Illinoisans' right to "free movement" - to leave their...
Unemployment in Illinois and the U.S. continues to balloon amid the novel coronavirus pandemic. The state reported 81,596 first-time claims in the week ending April 25, during which time more than 3.8 million claims were submitted nationally. That means 818,917 Illinoisans filed for unemployment since March 21, and 681,041 drew unemployment benefits during the week ending April 25. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, that is about 10.7 percent of Illinois’ civilian work force. T...
Despite projected increases in corn and soybean plantings this year after a disastrous 2019 planting season, farmers are gripped by uncertainty surrounding spring weather and the economic downturn from the COVID-19 pandemic. The U.S. Department of Agriculture released its annual prospective plantings report on Tuesday, which shows how many acres farmers of major crops intend to plant this spring. Illinois farmers are expected to plant 11.3 million acres of corn and 10.5 million acres of soybeans...
The social distancing guidelines that led Illinois county fairs to cancel off-season events on their grounds through the end of April is one part of a financial impact double-whammy, a trade official said. Many local fairs use revenue from off-season events and activities to “pay the bills,” said Ken Tyrrell, president of the state’s Association of Agricultural Fairs. Guidelines from Gov. JB Pritzker’s office regulating the number of people allowed to congregate shrank over the past few weeks f...
