Sangamon Sun

'All the bad decisions': McClure deplores Illinois growing pension crisis he says majority likely won't resolve

By Karen Kidd | Dec 3, 2021

Putting an end to unnecessary spending is the only way to resolve Illinois' still-growing pension crisis but, if things continue as they are, that isn't likely to happen, a Springfield Republican state senator said during a recent interview

Carlinville native Card philosophical about Olympics performance: 'The sun sets, but the sun also rises'

By Karen Kidd | Aug 4, 2021

Discus thrower and Carlinville native Kelsey Card's time competing in the Tokyo Olympics is over but she said in a recent social media post that, while she won no medals, it was a learning experience.

Butler furious with Democrats over lack of 'third reading' on GOP legislation critical to his district

By Karen Kidd | Apr 28, 2021

A bipartisan Illinois House bill, whose sponsor shouted on the floor last week, is being stonewalled as part of the majority Democrat's continued efforts to stymie Republican legislation, GOP lawmakers said.

Rezin: 'Witness after witness has been critical of the lack of transparency in this process'

By Karen Kidd | Apr 20, 2021

A Logan County-area Republican activist sees the recent redistricting hearings as an opportunity for voters to fight for nonpartisan-drawn legislative maps.

PORTA coach 'glad' IHSA defied Pritzker's try to put off basketball season

By Karen Kidd | Nov 6, 2020

The Illinois High School Association's defiance of Gov. J.B. Pritzker's attempts to put off the state's upcoming high school basketball season over COVID-19 has pleased a Petersburg basketball coach.

From Metro East Sun

Rep. Shimkus' retirement plans on hold – at least for the moment

By Karen Kidd | 5 years ago

Illinoisans may find out next week whether longtime Southern Illinois Republican Congressman John Shimkus (R-Danville) will change his mind about retiring from the 15th Congressional District seat he has held for more than 20 years.

From Prairie State Wire

U.S. Senate Resolution: No bailing out Illinois

By Karen Kidd | 5 years ago

The Land of Lincoln is suffering a number of financial woes, fueled in large part by unfunded pension liabilities, but neither Illinois nor any other state should expect a bailout from Uncle Sam, according to a resolution introduced into the senate last summer.

From West Central Reporter

Rep. Hammond renews call for fair maps, supports petition to end gerrymandering

By Karen Kidd | 5 years ago

A Republican Illinois House representative from the 93rd District earlier this week renewed her call for fair maps and pushed support for an independent map-drawing petition following a U.S. Supreme Court decision not to hear gerrymander cases.

From Prairie State Wire

Illinios education officials want half the state's budget, Wirepoints warns

By Karen Kidd | 6 years ago

Illinois education officials are out to get half of the state's budget—and they just might—to the detriment of the state's taxpayers, according to an online Wirepoints newsletter issued earlier today.

From Prairie State Wire

IPI: FBI's secret Madigan recordings in affidavit reveal nothing new about speaker's operations

By Karen Kidd | 6 years ago

Illinois's powerful House Speaker Michael Madigan (D-Chicago), earlier today revealed to be a target in the same FBI investigation that led to an extortion indictment against a Chicago alderman, is not accused of anything new, a think tank reported.

From Prairie State Wire

Legislature overrides some Rauner vetoes, fails on others

By Karen Kidd | 6 years ago

Illinois's outgoing Republican governor saw a few of his vetoes overridden during the Fall Veto Session in Springfield and a few new laws have been passed, a QUAD city area lawmaker said in a summary recap released last week.

From Prairie State Wire

State facing huge debt for public-sector retiree health benefits, says Wirepoints

By Karen Kidd | 6 years ago

Illinois's "other debt disaster" is $73 billion in unfunded state retiree health insurance benefits and more than twice that amount owed over the next four decades, according to a special report issued this week by an online news outlet.

From Prairie State Wire

FY19 Budget: 'Not one penny should be spent on pork,' Ives says

By Karen Kidd | 6 years ago

Illinois Rep. Jeanne Ives (R-Wheaton) believes state lawmakers need to reject political pork spending that was hidden in the budget passed earlier this year.

From Prairie State Wire

Pro-economic liberty group launches campaign against soaring Illinois property taxes

By Karen Kidd | 6 years ago

Supporting a proposal to cut Illinois property taxes in half and a slate of political candidates who would help make that happen is part of Liberty Principles PAC's recently announced "Save Your Home" campaign.

From Peoria Standard

Brady points to parallels between Pritzker, previous Democratic governors

By Karen Kidd | 6 years ago

The ranking Illinois Senate Republican recently blasted Democratic gubernatorial candidate J.B. Pritzker over his willingness to raise taxes.

From Prairie State Wire

People in prime working age are fleeing Illinois, think tank reports

By Karen Kidd | 6 years ago

Not only is Illinois' overall population in deep decline, the number of people in prime working age also is going down in the state, a Chicago-based Conservative think tank said in a recent report.

From Prairie State Wire

Better Government Association says Obama didn't say fathers in the home is a solution to gun violence -- but he did

By Karen Kidd | 6 years ago

Sometimes the fact-checker needs a good fact-checking.

Illinois Department on Aging adviser named outstanding employee of the year

By Karen Kidd | Nov 16, 2017

John Eckert, an Illinois Department on Aging senior policy adviser, was honored by the Illinois Interagency Committee for Employees with Disabilities as the 2017 Outstanding Employee of the Year

Budget described as no solution to Illinois insolvency

By Karen Kidd | Jul 21, 2017

While state lawmakers ended a two-year budget impasse, the measures adopted by the Illinois Legislature will not fix the state's fiscal mess, an analyst who co-wrote a paper that places the state 49th in long-run solvency told the Sangamon Sun.

Budget described as no solution to Illinois insolvency

By Karen Kidd | Jul 17, 2017

While state lawmakers ended a two-year budget impasse, the measures adopted by the Illinois Legislature will not fix the state's fiscal mess, an analyst who co-wrote a paper that places the state 49th in long-run solvency told the Sangamon Sun.