Friday, May 17, 2013
Passed by a 35-21 vote, the bill now goes to the desk of Gov. Pat Quinn, who has not yet said whether he intends to sign it.
By a vote of 35-21, the Illinois Senate approved legislation on Friday that would allow doctors in the state to prescribe marijuana as pain relief for severe medical conditions. The bill now goes to Gov. Pat Quinn for his signature. According to the Chicago Tribune, the bill covers 33 specific conditions—including multiple sclerosis, cancer and HIV infection—and includes several controls, with a four-year trial program, dosage limits, fingerprinting, background checks and licensed dispensing centers. “This bill is filled with walls to keep this limited,” the paper quoted sponsoring Sen. Bill Haine (D-Alton), who urged lawmakers to pass the legislation as a compassionate measure for those suffering with extreme pain. In opposition, Sen. …
Thursday, April 25, 2013
State Sen. Jim Oberweis is sponsoring a bill that would increase the state's highest speed limit by 5 mph.
If driving 65 mph on Illinois’ highways just isn’t fast enough for you, don’t worry. The maximum speed limit in the state may soon be increased. State Sen. Jim Oberweis (R-Sugar Grove) is sponsoring a bill that already has made its way through the state Senate that would increase the speed limit to 70 mph on state highways, according to the Chicago Tribune. The measure is a "business friendly" bill that would allow companies to move commerce in a faster way, Oberweis said. “This is a bipartisan, good-government bill, which would allow the maximum speed limit on tollways and interstate highways to increase to 70 mph to bring Illinois in line with most of the rest of the country,” Oberweis said. “The interstates were designed for a higher …
Thursday, April 18, 2013
Gov. Quinn has declared a state of emergency in the wake of flooding throughout the Chicago area.
Governor Pat Quinn declared a state of emergency as state agencies prepared to provide assistance to local governments throughout northern Illinois dealing with severe river and flash flooding. The state of emergency ensures that state resources are activated and that the federal government is aware that a disaster declaration is likely. It also allows the state to request resources as needed, such as personnel and equipment. State and local emergency personnel have been on the ground in hardest hit areas since early this morning. "Heavy rainfall over the past few days has created dangerous flooding in areas across the state," Governor Quinn stated in a press release. "Everyone should stay home and off the roads if possible. To ensure …
Sunday, April 14, 2013
Residents of our state will soon have the right to carry concealed weapons in public, but that doesn't mean safety is guaranteed.
Monday, January 28, 2013
Despite 2011's 67 percent state income tax hike — which took a week's pay away from you — the state's financial problems have worsened.
Tuesday, January 8, 2013
No determination of when the 10-judge panel will decide whether to look at last year's decision.
Illinois' attorney general Lisa Madigan has asked the entire 7th Circuit Court of Appeals to review a December ruling that overturned the state's ban on the concealed carry of handguns in public. The Chicago Tribune reports that the move is aimed at challenging the decision by a three-judge panel of the court, which ruled 2-1 that the state's longtime ban violated the Second Amendment. If the court accepts the petition, the case would be reviewed by all 10 appellate judges. If the court rejects the petition, Madigan would have to decide whether to appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court. "In ruling that Illinois must allow individuals to carry ready-to-use firearms in public, the 7th Circuit Court’s decision goes beyond what the U.S. Supreme …
The Citizen's Utility Board, a nonprofit utility watchdog, is hosting a free event Jan. 15 that will show residents how they can save hundreds on their utility bills.
CUB, the Citizen's Utility Board, will offer a free "checkup" at Rush Oak Park Hospital on Jan. 15. The checkup can't do anything to help you with your winter sniffles, but it could help save you a significant amount of money on your gas, phone, electric and other utility bills. CUB is a nonprofit organization with the stated missing of representing the interests of residential utility customers in Illinois. Utility customers can bring in copies of their bills at this free event for one-on-one advice on how to trim their bills with a CUB expert. The checkup event will begin at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 15 at Rush Oak Park Hospital, 610 S. Maple Ave. in Oak Park. Those attending should head to room 2000. Patrick Diegnan, a CUB spokesperson…
Thursday, January 3, 2013
Cardinal Francis George releases a strongly worded letter as the State Legislature moves closer to a vote on gay marriage.
As gay marriage moves closer to a vote in the Illinois General Assembly, Cardinal Francis George has released a letter attacking the notion of same- sex marriage itself and urging Catholics to voice their objections. UPDATED: Illinois State Senate members went home on Thursday without voting the bill up or down in the final days of the veto session, although a senate committee did vote in favor of the bill to allow same-sex marraige. Supporters are hoping the bill will be passed after new lawmakers are sworn in on Jan. 9, however, it may be weeks before the bill goes before the state senate for a full vote. The marriage equality bill's failure to go before the senate for a full vote on Thursday was credited to pushback from the Catholic …
Tuesday, November 6, 2012
About 15 minutes after the polls closed, news media sources put Illinois in the Obama column, giving the president 20 electoral votes.
President Barack Obama won Illinois’ 20 electoral votes on Tuesday, defeating Republican Mitt Romney. Illinois, of course, was never in play. The only visit the president made to his home state late in the campaign came Oct. 25, when he returned to the South Side to cast an early ballot at the Martin Luther King Community Center. Obama is the first president to ever vote early in a presidential election. The Wall St. Journal and the Associated Press called the state about 15 minutes after the polls closed. The president's handling of the economy is a major factor in many voters' decision this year. "This election bears serious significance for our future," said Sheila Brady of Orland Park, outside her Fernway Elementary School polling …
Monday, October 29, 2012
There were HOW many trick-or-treaters in the U.S. last year? Scroll through our roundup of trivia about the haunted holiday.
Halloween, which dates back to Celtic rituals thousands of years ago, has long been associated with images of witches, ghosts and vampires. Over the years, Halloween customs have changed dramatically. Today, Halloween is celebrated many different ways, including wearing costumes, children trick-or-treating, carving pumpkins, and going to haunted houses and parties. Here are some frighteningly fun facts and figures about the pagan tradition turned modern celebration. The Land of Lincoln is actually the pumpkin capital of the world, according to State Sen. Kirk Dillard (R-Hinsdale), producing mroe than 90 percent of the nation's pumpkins. But most of Illinois' pumpkins don't wind up as jack-o-lanterns — the vast majority are canned at the …
Dave
6:33 pm on Saturday, May 18, 2013
Have there been any messages for me? - Dave more ›