Parkhurst votes against ERA

This week, Illinois became the 37th state to approve a U.S. constitutional amendment that would guarantee equal rights for women. State Rep. Lindsay Parkhurst, R-Kankakee, voted against the Equal Rights Amendment, parting company with many area GOP lawmakers.

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Seeking to comfort grieving families and shaken survivors, President Donald Trump spent more than an hour privately Thursday with some of those impacted by a Texas mass school shooting that killed 10 and wounded more than a dozen on May 18. The latest spasm of violence in a year marred by assaults on the nation's schools, the shooting at Santa Fe High School was the latest to test the president's role as national comforter-in-chief. Trump met with more than two dozen people affected by the shooting, and did not publicly share his message for the grieving families and local leaders during a meeting at a Coast Guard base outside Houston.

Vince Cable plans to remain as Lib Dem leader ‘until he is 95’

Liberal Democrat leader Sir Vince Cable has rejected calls to make way for a successor, with friends telling Business Insider that he plans to stay in the job for another 20 years. Ellis Island was the first place many hopeful immigrants saw upon arrival on US shores, the repository for all their dreams.

Town of Delavan woman challenging August in 32nd Assembly seat race

A town of Delavan woman is running as a Democrat to challenge Republican state Rep. Tyler August in his re-election campaign to represent state Assembly District 32. August's name was floated as a possible candidate to run for House Speaker Paul Ryan's seat , but on April 12 he declined to run for Congress and announced his re-election efforts locally. The Assembly's speaker pro tempore said Washington is not the place to go and "get things done," and said he wanted to continue passing legislation and cutting taxes in Wisconsin.

Worth the trip: Historic Occoquan offers galleries, shops and sopapillas

Crawling along Interstate 95 or Old Bridge Road during your work-week commute, it's easy to miss the tiny Town of Occoquan, which houses some of Northern Virginia's award-winning galleries and dining destination spots along the scenic Potomac River.a a A white-and-evergreen billboard a offers a glimpse of what lies ahead as you descend the ... (more)

The Russia Investigations: What ‘Collusion’ Means Now

Senate intelligence committee Chairman Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C. and committee Vice Chairman Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va. wait for the beginning of a confirmation hearing on May 9, 2018 in Washington, D.C. Alex Wong/Getty Images hide caption Senate intelligence committee Chairman Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C. and committee Vice Chairman Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va.

Corporate raiders ruined lives as they destroyed Toys ‘R’ Us, politicians say

Following the announcement that bankrupt Toys 'R Us would close all its stores and layoff its 33,000 employees -- including 11 outlets and 1,600 people at its New Jersey headquarters -- the state's two U.S. senators and a House colleague on Friday called on the chain's owners to "support" those workers any way they can. "We write to urge you to do everything in your power to support the thousands of Toys 'R' Us workers who will soon lose their jobs as the company closes its doors," it was stated in a letter dated June 1 and signed by Senators Cory Booker and Robert Menendez, plus U.S. Rep. Bill Pascrell .