State & Local News Headlines

As expected, we did not see a whole lot of spending increases in Gov. JB Pritzker’s state budget proposal last week. Last year, Gov. JB Pritzker said his budget limited discretionary spending to less than a one percent increase. The plan unveiled last week limits discretionary spending to less than a half a point increase.…

State Representative Kyle Moore issued a statement after the governor’s State of the State and Budget Address. “This is the largest budget proposal in Illinois history, with proposed spending continuing to grow at an unsustainable rate,” said Rep. Moore. “Hard-working families in our state cannot afford more taxes, higher fees, and continued fiscal mismanagement.” Governor Pritzker’s proposed budget would increase total spending…

QUINCY — A Tuesday night’s League of Women Voters of Adams County candidate forum, the four people hoping to be the Democrat’s choice to unseat Rep. Mary Miller (R-Ill. 15) say should they win and the Democrats take over the U.S. House of Representatives, they would vote to impeach President Donald Trump for a third…

QUINCY — Four people are running in the March 17 Democratic primary in hopes of being Illinois’ 15th District representative to Congress. Jennifer Todd, Kyle Nudo, Paul Davis and Randy Raley spoke Tuesday night at the League of Women Voters of Adams County’s candidate forum at First Christian Church. The candidates answered questions from a…

MRN Publisher J. Robert Gough talks to Adams Co. Clerk and Recorder Ryan Niekamp about election integrity during a time when people are howling that there is no such thing. Niekamp also gives his thoughts to the County Board’s consideration in potentially hiring a full-time county administrator.

As I write this, Gov. JB Pritzker is preparing to give his annual budget address. It’s an unenviable task. Earlier this month, the Governor’s Office of Management and Budget released a report showing federal tax cuts caused a $587 million reduction in state revenues this fiscal year.  The governor announced last month that he was…

SPRINGFIELD, IL – House Republicans State Representative Dave Severin (R-Benton) and State Representative Kyle Moore (R-Quincy) held a Zoom press conference on Wednesday to alert Illinois taxpayers about two pending legislative proposals that would increase taxes on campfires and grocery bags. Rep. Severin provided details on HB 4459, which would impose a new $5 tax on…

The Illinois State Bar Association (ISBA) released the results of a recent Judicial Advisory Poll. The poll was available to licensed attorneys and judges to give their opinions on the candidates for a judicial vacancy in the Eighth Judicial Circuit, Assistant Adams County State’s Attorney Tim Bass and Circuit Judge Christopher Pratt. The Eighth Judicial…

Gov. JB Pritzker announced a plan last week to “manage Illinois pension commitments through a set of proposals designed to build on the state’s recent fiscal progress and further reduce long-term risk for taxpayers and retirees.” The price tag, however, is already giving one legislative leader pause. And “fiscal progress” is not the reality when…

The Illinois bill has been nicknamed the POWER Act — Protecting Our Water, Energy and Ratepayers. It aims to shift energy costs related to this growth from consumers to the data center companies, incentivize clean-energy sourcing, limit water use and protect local communities from pollution. It stands out to supporters and opponents alike as particularly wide-reaching.

When the project was approved in 2018, projections placed public infrastructure costs at roughly $350 million, split between the state of Illinois and the city of Chicago. Eight years later, the Illinois Department of Transportation says approximately $229 million in infrastructure spending was tied to the site, up from its earlier estimate of roughly $174 […]

Edwin Moreno, 27, also known as “AK,” is accused of possessing a Glock .45-caliber pistol fitted with a machine gun conversion device, according to a federal criminal complaint. Moreno and an unidentified accomplice were allegedly recruited by ATF agents posing as repo men needing armed security. Both both Moreno and his buddy allegedly pulled up their […]

In 2021, Illinois’ $14,993 average in-state tuition cost for public four-year universities was the third most expensive in the nation — only behind Vermont and New Hampshire — and over $5,000 more expensive than the nationwide average, according to federal data from the National Center for Education Statistics.

"The governor’s budget proposal did indeed project $200 million in revenues from imposing a new 'social media platform fee,' and the money was earmarked for education. But … evidence-based funding was given only an additional $5 million on top of its (mostly) usual $300 million annual increase."

U.S. District Judge Rebecca Pallmeyer, CPD officials and representatives of Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul listened for 90 minutes as more than a dozen Chicagoans testified virtually that the reform push that has cost Chicago taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars has not resulted in significant change. Almost seven years into the process, CPD has […]

Voters are being asked whether they support raising the county sales tax, increasing property taxes or reducing county services. “If the answer to all of these questions is no and we do expect that to be the answer, we can rest easier at night knowing that voters explicitly said they we’re okay with reductions. Then […]

Gov. JB Pritzker’s proposed budget for fiscal year 2027 calls for a 1.6 percent spending increase, a far cry from past years when base revenue sources were growing at a faster pace. Pritzker said his budget “levels off and in some cases reduces programs that are important to me."

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Gov. JB Pritzker's order directs the Illinois Power Agency and Illinois Commerce Commission to look into potential sites for the facilities and to develop a legal and regulatory system to govern them. State officials will not foist the facilities on municipalities but instead let communities make the decision, the governor's office told Crain's.