Latest News from Prairie State Wire

Illinois Emergency Management Agency has a new director

By Caitlin Nordahl | Nov 15, 2017

Gov. Bruce Rauner recently named Illinois Emergency Management Agency Deputy Director Joseph Klinger to take the agency’s reins from IEMA Director James Joseph joining the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

Ives cites culture surrounding 'phony property tax freeze' in her decision to run for governor

By W.J. Kennedy | Nov 15, 2017

State Rep. Jeanne Ives (R-Wheaton) is running for governor, and a recent House vote on legislation that was sold as a freeze on property taxes, but what fiscal experts say was little more than a ruse, is a symptom of the reason why.

CORRECTION Analysis: At bottom-ranked Brooklyn school district, 96 percent fail annual exams

By LGIS Newsfeed | Nov 15, 2017

At Brooklyn Unit School District 188 in St. Clair County, 96 percent of students fell below standards on annual state assessments, putting it at the bottom of the state's 852 districts, according to a Prairie State Wire analysis of Illinois State Board of Education data.

Kerry Lester resigning from politics columnist post at Daily Herald

By LGIS News Service | Nov 13, 2017

Political writer Kerry Lester has resigned from her columnist position at the Daily Herald and is no longer writing for the newspaper.

Rauner praises House for not overriding veto of right-to-work ban

By Caitlin Nordahl | Nov 13, 2017

Gov. Bruce Rauner recently praised state representatives for voting against his veto of Senate Bill 1905, arguing in a statement that the law barring the creation of local right-to-work zones would have made Illinois less competitive and harmed the state's business prospects.

Republicans need to figure out 'are you with Trump or not,' former campaign adviser says

By Glenn Minnis | Nov 10, 2017

Joe Trippi is starting to see the handwriting on the wall heading into the 2018 midterm elections.

Illinois National Guard soldiers aid Puerto Rico recovery efforts

By Caitlin Nordahl | Nov 10, 2017

Gov. Bruce Rauner recently announced that Illinois has deployed approximately 150 Army National Guard soldiers to aid in the recovery efforts in Puerto Rico following Hurricane Maria, according to a release from the governor’s office.

Ives stresses 'tragic' Rauner decision on sanctuary status

By W.J. Kennedy | Nov 10, 2017

It takes a Virginia Democrat to reveal just how out of touch Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner’s social agenda really is, Rep. Jeanne Ives (R-Wheaton) contends.

Treasurer candidate sees 2018 as referendum on Illinois' future

By Glenn Minnis | Nov 9, 2017

Jim Dodge calls the 2018 elections the epitome of a sink-or-swim situation.

Ives demands Madigan explain long-vacant ethics post

By W.J. Kennedy | Nov 9, 2017

For Rep. Jeanne Ives (R-Wheaton), Wednesday’s sexual harassment prevention seminar for legislators at the Capitol was merely for public show — another “reform” action political leaders checked off in the wake of harassment charges against a state senator.

Analysis backs Holcomb on job growth: Indiana rocks, Illinois rolls over

By Glenn Minnis | Nov 8, 2017

The latest ad touting Gov. Bruce Rauner's re-election campaign is certainly unusual, but truth can be stranger than fiction.

Americans for Tax Reform president says Republicans will win seats in 2018 because of tax bill

By Glenn Minnis | Nov 7, 2017

Grover Norquist doesn’t see how Republican lawmakers can lose if they just stick to the plan they've already put forth.

Illinois ranked 49th in taxypayer burden after several years of one party control

By Glenn Minnis | Nov 6, 2017

A Truth in Accounting survey has found that Illinois now ranks 49th in the country for its taxpayer burden.

Analysis shows loopholes abound to get around property tax freezes

By W.J. Kennedy | Nov 6, 2017

A fast-moving bill to freeze property taxes in Cook and adjacent counties for two years isn’t nearly as bad as it sounds for tax-hungry local governments nor as good as it sounds for tax-weary homeowners, fiscal analysts say.

Fuzzy math seen in Teacher Retirement System projections vis-à-vis state budget

By Glenn Minnis | Nov 6, 2017

Wirepoints founder Mark Glennon said he wasn’t the least bit surprised when he learned that Teacher Retirement Systems projections for this fiscal year won’t be implemented as laid out in the new state budget.

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Lawyer Julie Porter named to long vacant Special Legislative Inspector General post overseeing state legislator ethics

By LGIS News Service | Nov 5, 2017

Evanston Lawyer Julie B. Porter, 45, will fill Illinois' Legislative Inspector General post, vacant for nearly three years.

Pritzker accused of delaying release of tax returns

By Caitlin Nordahl | Nov 4, 2017

J.B. Pritzker wants the richest Illinoisans to pay more in taxes, yet as one of the country's richest people, he's awfully reluctant to show how much he pays, the Illinois Republican Party charged recently.

Midwest governors 'thank' Madigan for making their states better, Rauner ad says

By Justin Stoltzfus | Nov 4, 2017

Illinois appears to be something of a turkey this year that surrounding state leaders are carving up, according to a recent ad from Gov. Bruce Rauner's re-election team.

Ives shocked that sexual harassment 'suffering' has been allowed

By Shanice Harris | Nov 3, 2017

Rep. Jeanne Ives (R-Wheaton) finds it hard to believe that Illinois has gone years without a legislative inspector general, especially in light of at least 27 sexual harassment complaints that have been filed against members of the General Assembly, according to a press release.

Anna hosts event honoring Vietnam War veterans

By Justin Stoltzfus | Nov 3, 2017

More than 100 veterans of the Vietnam War received a 50-year commemoration pin at the Illinois Veterans Home in Anna recently, according to a press release.

Prairie State Wire

News from November 2017