Sangamon Sun

Sangamon Sun

Saturday, December 14, 2019

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Illinois found flunking when it comes to teacher pensions

By Glenn Minnis | Jun 30, 2017

Illinois is part of a large class of states failing their teachers by virtue of a flawed retirement system, according to a recent Bellwether Education Partners survey.

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Escaping Illinoisans sound common call: Anywhere but here

By Russell Boniface | Jun 28, 2017

Imagining the Midwest as one big balloon with Illinois in the center might help illustrate what has happened recently: The middle of the balloon is being squished, meaning the rest of the balloon is expanding.

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Illinois history comes calling through new app

By Tabitha Fleming | Jun 26, 2017

Illinois visitors can take a deeper look at all of the history it has to offer thanks to an app unveiled by the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency (IHPA) recently.

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Uber-type school bus service described as unlikely fit for Illinois

By Karen Kidd | Jun 17, 2017

A Denver school busing program known as Success Express probably would not work well in Illinois, the president of the Illinois Association for Pupil Transportation (IAPT) told the Sangamon Sun recently.

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Rauner, legislators unveil memorial wall in Capitol

By Russell Boniface | Jun 14, 2017

Republican lawmakers and Gov. Bruce Rauner opened the third annual Memorial Day Wall of Remembrance display earlier this summer in the Illinois Capitol Rotunda, according to a press release.

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Overtaxed Illinoisans also seeing nation's smallest growth in personal income

By Caitlin Nordahl | Jun 13, 2017

Illinois’ average personal income growth since the Great Recession is tied with Nevada for the worst in the country, according to data from Pew Charitable Trusts published on the Illinois Policy Institute website recently.

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Southern, Central Illinois benefit from $7.23 million in block grants

By Caitlin Nordahl | Jun 12, 2017

Nineteen Illinois communities will receive a total of $7.23 million in funding to improve, rehabilitate and retrofit residential properties, according to the Illinois Department of Commerce & Economic Opportunity (DCEO).

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Law enforcement groups back House changes to immigration measure

By Glenn Minnis | Jun 12, 2017

Illinois law enforcement agencies are pledging a united effort in enforcing immigration law changes if Senate Bill 31 becomes law.

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Health department honors first responders as 'true heroes'

By Caitlin Nordahl | Jun 4, 2017

The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) is honoring the state’s paramedics, police, firefighters and other first responders for their commitments to Illinois’ communities during National Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Week, which ends on Saturday.

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Minimum wage hike forecast as devastating blow to lllinois business, economy

By Caitlin Nordahl | May 28, 2017

Increasing Illinois' minimum wage to $15 an hour would be devastating to small businesses and cost the state 93,000 jobs, the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) Research Center forecast recently.

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Animal welfare bureau offering online license renewals

By Richard Jones | May 28, 2017

The Bureau of Animal Health and Welfare has launched a pilot program to open online license renewals to all of Illinois, according to a press release.

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Anchor store closures said to leave many communities adrift financially

By Caitlin Nordahl | May 25, 2017

When a major department store closes in a mall, it can do a lot more than leave an empty space in the shopping experience: It can leave a big hole in local revenue projections as well, the Better Government Association (BGA) argued recently.

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Wojcicki Jimenez cheers passage of bill to expand veteran courts

By Caitlin Nordahl | May 21, 2017

Rep. Sara Wojcicki Jimenez (R-Leland Grove) touted the recent passage of Senate Bill 1238 as a way to make it easier for veterans to receive the services they need rather than getting lost in the judicial system.

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Equal pay bill 'hurts good players, too,' business owner argues

By Giovanni Whaley | May 17, 2017

Rep. Anna Moeller (D-Elgin) has sponsored a bill she believes will help move women’s rights one step forward in the workplace, but not everyone agrees.

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Court services for Illinois veterans might soon be expanded

By Hoang Tran | May 16, 2017

Veterans would have access to additional court services in Illinois if Gov. Bruce Rauner signs a bill that passed the General Assembly on Monday.

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Raising minimum wage won't fight poverty, labor economics expert says

By Cheyenne Dickerson | May 14, 2017

Legislators' attempts to raise the minimum wage in Illinois won't address poverty and could negatively affect youth unemployment, according to Tim Kane, a labor economics expert with the Hoover Institution, a public policy think tank at Stanford University.

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AFSCME strike risks could be life-changing, group warns

By Carol Ostrow | May 10, 2017

If lllinois state employees end up going on strike, they could be risking more than their paychecks: They could lose their jobs, a public policy research group said recently.

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Roskam praises Trump tax plan, despite not touching Medicare

By Giovanni Whaley | May 3, 2017

The Trump Administration's one-page tax reform proposal might not be perfect, but as long as it's permanent it has U.S. Rep. Peter Roskam's (R-IL) support, the congressman said on Thursday.

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Senate bill would take a cut of lawn care, group warns

By Tabitha Fleming | Apr 22, 2017

An amendment to Senate Bill 9 has received a lot of press for its plans to impose a 6.25 percent sales tax on streaming services and cable TV, but the lllinois Policy Institute is warning homeowners that the bill also would grab some green from landscaping companies.

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Health care records called particularly vulnerable to cyber crime

By Caitlin Nordahl | Apr 19, 2017

Health care and workers’ compensation data are remarkably susceptible to hacking, leaving some people open to a range of identity theft crimes, the law firm of Keefe, Campbell, Biery & Associates warned recently.