21 Sep 2020

Special Committee Will Call Witnesses to Determine If Madigan Should Undergo Disciplinary Proceedings

By Rich Miller

During both the impeachment proceedings against Governor Rod Blagojevich and the disciplinary proceedings that led to the expulsion of State Representative Derrick Smith (D-Chicago), the Illinois House was able to call witnesses. But because of ongoing federal investigations in both instances, the U.S. Attorney limited what some of those witnesses could be asked. Governor Blagojevich had been charged with multiple felonies and Representative Smith had been caught on audio accepting a cash bribe.

14 Sep 2020

Twenty-One of Nine-Hundred-Plus Social Equity Applicants Win All 75 Pot Store Licenses

By Rich Miller

There's been much gnashing of teeth since the state announced that just 21 social-equity applicants had qualified for regional lotteries that will award 75 cannabis-dispensary store licenses. The 21 winning entities submitted well over 300 applications for those 75 licenses, which has forced a tie-breaking round.

31 Aug 2020

If Politics Is a Science, Then Pritzker and His Critics Are Learning by Pratfall

By Rich Miller

When Governor JB Pritzker announced the state COVID-19 "mitigation" plan for the Metro East on August 16, he said it was done in conjunction "with local officials in the Metro East region and across the border in St Louis." Last week, though, the governor admitted the cross-border arrangement to try to contain the virus's spread was a "mistake." Man, was it ever.

24 Aug 2020

Nobody’s Wimp: James R Thompson, 1936-2020

By Rich Miller

The late Jim Thompson was just 40 years old when he was first elected governor of Illinois in 1976. Rod Blagojevich was called a youthful politician, but he was 45 on the day he was elected governor. Jim Edgar was 44 in November of 1990. After serving 14 years as governor, longer than anyone else in Illinois history, Thompson was still just 54 years old the day he left office.

17 Aug 2020

Ann Spillane Proving Indispensable in Keeping Pritzker's COVID Orders on Course

By Rich Miller

Tuesday, August 11, was probably the best day, professionally, that Governor JB Pritzker has had in quite a while. The Joint Committee on Administrative Rules has been a source of legislative frustration for the governor all year. He didn't quite seem to grasp how best to work its process-dominated membership, and he was handed a major defeat back in May when JCAR members in both parties turned thumbs-down on a sweeping plan to impose fines and even jail time on violators of Governor Pritzker's COVID-19 executive orders.

10 Aug 2020

Howard Finds Out How Risky It Is to Take an Actual Stand Against Madigan

By Rich Miller

"I need to be able to look myself in the mirror every day," was how Representative Terra Costa Howard (D-Glen Ellyn) explained to me recently why she decided to call for House Speaker Michael Madigan's resignation. "More importantly," the freshman suburban Democrat said, "I had to look at my daughters and remind them what it means to do what's right."

03 Aug 2020

Voting Blocs Prefer the Madigan They Know ... for Now

By Rich Miller

The calls were mostly brief and to the point, recipients said. House Speaker Michael Madigan just wanted to know where his members stood last week after two of his members demanded he step aside as House Speaker and Democratic Party of Illinois chairman. Did they agree with their fellow Democratic state Representatives Terra Costa Howard and Stephanie Kifowit that he should resign? he asked.

27 Jul 2020

Now the Shoe's on Michael Madigan's Own Foot

By Rich Miller

A couple of days after the July 17 disclosures in ComEd's deferred-prosecution agreement with the US Attorney's office, Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan called individual House Democrats to try and reassure them that all would be well.

According to multiple legislators, the House Speaker told his members that he had done nothing wrong and that he never did things like recommend unqualified people for jobs, and fully expected that, if they were hired, they would actually show up for work.

20 Jul 2020

Feds Implicate Madigan in Bribery Charges While Colleagues Calibrate Responses

By Rich Miller

One of the most politically powerful entities in this state, ComEd has basically admitted bribing the most politically powerful person in this state, House Speaker Michael Madigan, and agreed to pay $200 million and continue cooperating with federal investigators for at least the next three years.

13 Jul 2020

Three Directors Later, Pritzker May Have a Winner in Richards

By Rich Miller

Governor JB Pritzker has not had a lot of luck with the Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) since taking office in 2019. Governor Pritzker appointed Gustavo Giraldo as his IDES director in March of last year. Giraldo abruptly walked out of the office two weeks later. The Pritzker administration has never explained why.

Pages

Subscribe & Listen to Reader Podcasts

On Stands Now

 

Tagged Content

    

Two Ways to Subscribe

1. Subscribe to free weekly e-mail content updates.

You'll get both the current official narrative challenge and What's Happenin' in the Quad Cities.
(Did you know we publish a new Real Astrology and RCR Crossword every week?) 

Subscribe!

* indicates required

2. Get 12 monthly issues mailed first class for $48

Get 12 issues mailed monthly for $48 per year.

Get the printed Reader edition mailed to you (or anyone you want) first-class for 12 months for $48.
$24 goes to postage and handling, $24 goes to keeping the doors open!

Click this link to Subscribe now.