. By Rich Miller . As you’ve probably heard by now, Illinois Republican Party Chair Don Tracy announced his resignation last week, apparently effective the day after the Republican National Convention concludes on July 18. The announcement came after far-right activists forced out the state party’s vice chair, Mark Shaw, and the resignation of the…

. By Rich Miller . “What was supposed to be a simple storage warehouse for the Metra transit agency has now buried the nation’s fourth-busiest commuter rail system in a sinking money pit, the ABC7 I-Team has learned.” The Chicago broadcast station’s scoop last week is an almost perfect encapsulation of why northeastern Illinois’ mass…

. By Rich Miller . A state law essentially designed to prevent Republicans from appointing legislative candidates to the ballot after the March primary was ruled unconstitutional by a Sangamon County judge last week, but her ruling only applied to the 14 Republican plaintiffs in the case who are running for the Illinois House and…

. By Rich Miller . Illinois House Speaker Chris Welch gave added meaning to the phrase “winning ugly” during the early morning hours of Wednesday, May 29. I’ve never seen anything like it, so let’s take a look. House members were told to be in their seats by noon Tuesday after the Senate had easily…

. By Rich Miller . I’m not sure I’ve seen a stranger roll call than last week’s House vote on Senate Bill 2978. The data privacy bill is an initiative of Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias, and he was on the House floor during the debate. The far-right ginned up social media opposition to…

. By Ray Hanania . Vicious text messages and robocalls were flying targeting state Sen. Michael Hastings (D-19th) in the year leading up to Hastings re-election bid on Nov. 8, 2022. . The messages were sexually explicit and sought to disparage Hastings, who was also in a contentious divorce with his wife. He was also…

. By Ray Hanania . I’m a veteran, so I get to talk about the other issues we face on Memorial Day besides remembering those who saved and who gave their lives to defend this country. I am not knocking them, of course. I am knocking those who exploit Memorial Day for their own profits.…

. By Rich Miller . Back in April, American Nurses Association Illinois Executive Director Susan Swart told my associate, Isabel Miller, that advanced-practice registered nurses are losing their jobs because of ongoing and severe state licensing delays. Swart said some of those nurses are waiting “a year to 18 months” to get their licenses from…

. By Ray Hanania . Sports has really changed over the past few generations. When I was young, going to a baseball or football game was very affordable. That’s because the sports teams weren’t paying the outrageous contracts to get the best sports stars. Sports competition used to be in person. We would go to…

. By Rich Miller . Much of the Illinois Statehouse appeared to be girding itself for battle with Mayor Brandon Johnson before his Springfield visit last week. After dramatically announcing to Chicago reporters earlier in the week that the city’s families are “owed” $1 billion from state government, particularly education, Gov. JB Pritzker sent two…