Editor Brian Harrod Provides Comprehensive up-to-date news coverage, with aggregated news from sources all over the world from the Roundup Newswires Network
It was a big year in the Illinois statehouse with lawmakers ending an historic budget impasse and approving an income tax hike, overhauling how public schools get funding and allowing automatic voter registration. The laws cover numerous topics, including the expansion of taxpayer-funded abortions, celebrating Barack Obama's presidency, allowing tax credits for private school scholarships, criminal justice reforms and a circus-related ban.
AP photo Illinois Assistant Attorney General John Wolfsmith argues in Sangamon County Circuit Court in Springfield, Ill., Thursday, Dec. 28, 2017, against a lawsuit challenging a law allowing publicly financed abortions set to take effect Monday, Jan. 1, 2018. Wolfsmith said the plaintiffs in the case, 11 Christian and conservative groups and a dozen state legislators, were trying to stall for time by delaying implementation of the law to June 1. A judge dismissed the lawsuit, saying the plaintiffs' arguments are "political questions" best left to the General Assembly.
Since his death December 3, former Rep. John B. Anderson of Illinois has been lionized in the national press as one of the last politically influential liberal Republicans. The white-haired Anderson's quixotic bid for his party's nomination in 1980 has been the topic of numerous articles and televised panels - as has his subsequent run as an Independent that fall against Ronald Reagan and Jimmy Carter .
Union members listen in as protesters fill the Kentucky Capitol rotunda to speak in protest of Kentucky House Bill 1 on Jan. 7 in Frankfort, Ky. The bill makes it illegal for workers to have to join a labor union or pay dues to keep a job.
Dr. John E. Warren says that African Americans should be focused on "voter registration" and not candidate endorsements at this stage of the game. The African Americans who have convinced themselves that one vote doesn't matter, should take a very close look at what happened during the recent special election in Alabama.
Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, accompanied by Rep. Kevin McCarthy , and Rep. Steve Scalise , speaks at a news conference following a closed House Republican conference meeting on Capitol Hill in Washington, Dec. 19, 2017. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi speaks at a news conference about the Republican led tax reform bill at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Dec. 19, 2017.
President Donald Trump is a political lightning rod. Even his staunchest supporters accept this reality - some seem to embrace it, actually, as it speaks to their belief he can disrupt a stagnant political establishment.
Rep. Luis Gutierrez of Illinois, a Democratic party leader on efforts to overhaul the nation's immigration laws, announced Tuesday he won't seek re-election next year after 13 terms. "This is my time to move on," the congressman said at a Chicago news conference.
Though it seems like it's been going on for months, Illinois' election season hits an important milestone today as the official lineup of candidates begins to take shape. Candidates for Congress, Illinois governor and other statewide offices, the Illinois legislature and county offices can begin filing their nominating petitions today.
Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner has so infuriated some far-right members of his Republican party with his actions on abortion, immigration and other issues that he's now facing a primary challenge as he seeks a second term.
Ivanka Trump is condemning recent tabloid coverage of President Barack Obama's eldest daughter Malia, saying the college student deserves privacy and ought to be "OFF limits." NEW YORK - Ivanka Trump is condemning recent tabloid coverage of President Barack Obama's eldest daughter Malia, saying the college student deserves privacy and ought to be "OFF limits."
President Donald Trump speaks to the press before departing from the south lawn of the White House in Washington, DC on November 21, 2017. President Donald Trump speaks to the press before departing from the south lawn of the White House in Washington, DC on November 21, 2017.
This state's story, which lately has been depressing, soon will acquire a riveting new chapter. In 2018 Illinois will have the nation's most important, expensive and strange election.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency has decided against helping victims of last summer's record flooding in the Chicago area. In a letter to Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner, FEMA administrator Brock Long says the agency determined damage from flooding in Cook, Lake, McHenry and Kane counties was not beyond the state's capability to address.
Illinois Republican gubernatorial candidate and State Rep. Jeanne Ives won over some hearts Saturday during a brief appearance to drum up support for her primary campaign in Arlington Heights. State Rep. Tom Morrison, who represents the 54th District, introduced Ives, lauding her stance on core Republican values, which he said Gov. Bruce Rauner has failed to uphold.
Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke says Senate Democrats are holding the department's nominees "hostage" to a political agenda that includes opposition to his review of presidentially designated monuments. In a sharply worded letter to Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin, the Senate's No.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, speak to reporters as work gets underway on the Senate's version of the GOP tax reform bill, on Capitol Hill in Washington on Nov. 9, 2017 Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, speak to reporters as work gets underway on the Senate's version of the GOP tax reform bill, on Capitol Hill in Washington on Nov. 9, 2017 The tax-overhaul plan introduced Thursday by U.S. Senate Republicans threatens to hit middle- and upper-middle-income Illinois residents particularly hard.
While visiting South Korea on Tuesday, President Donald Trump was asked whether he supports increased vetting of gun purchasers, given the mass shooting that occurred on Sunday in Texas. One part of his response would not surprise close observers of his presidency.
Thirty-five state attorneys general and the District of Columbia this week signed on to support South Dakota's legal bid to collect sales taxes from out-of-state internet retailers. South Dakota is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to review whether retailers can be required to collect sales taxes in states where they lack a physical presence.
Thirty-five state attorneys general and the District of Columbia this week signed on to support South Dakota's legal bid to collect sales taxes from out-of-state internet retailers. South Dakota is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to review whether retailers can be required to collect sales taxes in states where they lack a physical presence.