Latest News from Prairie State Wire

Former state school employee Stauffer paid in $122K to teachers' pension fund, could collect $1.89M in retirement

By Local Labs News Service | Dec 1, 2017

Former state school employee Karen Stauffer, who retired in November 2017, saved $121,506 toward a pension over 19 years working for public schools, Teachers' Retirement System of the State of Illinois records show.

Commentary magazine editor questions Conyers' mental state on radio show

By Glenn Minnis | Dec 1, 2017

Noah Rothman isn’t bashful about taking the position that Michigan Rep. John Conyers, now facing growing allegations of sexual harassment, is no longer fit to serve as a U.S. Congressman.

Powerful legal society files suit against publicly-funded abortion law

By W.J. Kennedy | Dec 2, 2017

A powerful national group of anti-abortion attorneys has filed a lawsuit on behalf of hundreds of thousands of Illinois taxpayers against House Bill 40, legislation that provides public funds for elective abortions that Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner signed into law in late September.

Gov. Rauner found sexual harassment bill flawed but signed it anyway

By Angela Underwood | Dec 4, 2017

Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner almost exercised his amendatory veto power on a sexual harassment bill, but due to the recent pending investigations at the statehouse, he said the bill had to be signed.

This week in Illinois history

By Christopher Mobley | Dec 4, 2017

Here are some of the the biggest events to take place during the first week of December in Illinois' long history.

Spend more on political campaigns to win culture war, activist says

By Robert Hadley | Dec 4, 2017

Regarding the debate over whether conservatives should be more involved in politics or should focus more on the so-called culture wars, Maggie Gallagher, senior fellow at the American Principles Project, offers some sobering statistics.

National Review slams Rauner, praises Ives as alternative

By Robert Hadley | Dec 4, 2017

Gov. Bruce Rauner was recently featured on the cover of the conservative magazine National Review, but the coverage wasn’t flattering.

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Ives cites acquittal in San Francisco murder case in slamming Rauner’s signing of sanctuary bill

By W.J. Kennedy | Dec 4, 2017

State Rep. Jeanne Ives (R-Wheaton) said the acquittal last week in San Francisco of an illegal immigrant of murder shows how Gov. Bruce Rauner betrayed Illinoisans when, in August, he signed a statewide sanctuary bill into law.

Ives makes her bid to unseat Rauner official

By Glenn Minnis | Dec 5, 2017

Rep. Jeanne Ives (R-Wheaton) ended all the suspense on Monday, officially announcing she will take on Gov. Bruce Rauner in the 2018 Republican primary.

Roskam says tax reform bill 'looks better the more you look at it'

By Justin Stoltzfus | Dec 5, 2017

U.S. Peter Roskam (R-IL) recently weighed in on attempts at federal tax reform during an appearance on "Chicago Morning Answer" radio program on WIND.

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Rauner's action invited Ives’ challenge, conservative magazine says

By W.J. Kennedy | Dec 5, 2017

State Rep. Jeanne Ives (R-Wheaton) made it official on Monday that she is challenging incumbent Gov. Bruce Rauner in the Republican primary. After three years in office, Rauner nearly went out of his way to invite the challenge, according to a cover story for the Dec. 18 edition of the nation’s leading conservative magazine, National Review.

Helland: Increasing taxes hurting Illinois residents

By Carrie Bradon | Dec 5, 2017

Candidates for various political positions in Illinois last week filed to run in the upcoming elections, including Jason Helland, who is running for secretary of state.

Illinois treasurer candidate Dodge says bad debt is harming state

By Glenn Minnis | Dec 5, 2017

Jim Dodge argues that the way Illinois lawmakers have allowed the state’s runaway debt to accumulate is almost as depressing as the liability itself.

State's helpline to aid those impacted by opioid epidemic

By Angela Underwood | Dec 5, 2017

1-833-2FINDHELP is the state's helpline number opioid-addicted residents can call for immediate help.

Rauner's record a trail of failed promises, Ives says

By Glenn Minnis | Dec 6, 2017

Rep. Jeanne Ives (R-Wheaton) senses one of the keys to taking down Gov. Bruce Rauner in the 2018 Republican primary lies in reminding voters just how little they really seem to know about him. “You look at his record and what he said on the campaign trail when we all helped to elect him,” Ives said during a recent appearance on “Chicago's Morning Answer” radio show on WIND.