South Cook News

Curran recalls liberation of Auschwitz in 1945, signing of the Paris Accord in 1973

By Karen Kidd | Jan 29, 2022

State Sen. John Curran (R-Downers Grove) earlier this week recalled two different points of historical conflict, the Holocaust and end of the United States' involvement in Vietnam.

'We honor and remember': Curran recalls Illinoisans killed in attack on Pearl Harbor

By Karen Kidd | Dec 12, 2021

Illinois State Sen. John Curran (R-Downers Grove) earlier this week recalled the unprovoked Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941 and what the Democrat then president had to say about the date.

Curran: 'The request for the disaster declaration has been made'

By Karen Kidd | Jul 16, 2021

State Sen. John Curran (R-Downers Grove), like many others, is waiting to see how the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) will respond to Gov. J.B. Pritzker's request for a disaster declaration in DuPage County following a tornado touchdown there last month.

DuPage County lawmaker who predicted Pritzker's shutdown would last about a year says re-opening news is 'great'

By Karen Kidd | May 24, 2021

A collar county lawmaker who predicted that Gov. J.B. Pritzker's pandemic-driven shutdown of Illinois would last about a year, says he's pleased about the news that he was almost right.

From Prairie State Wire

U.S. Senate Resolution: No bailing out Illinois

By Karen Kidd | 5 years ago

The Land of Lincoln is suffering a number of financial woes, fueled in large part by unfunded pension liabilities, but neither Illinois nor any other state should expect a bailout from Uncle Sam, according to a resolution introduced into the senate last summer.

From West Central Reporter

Rep. Hammond renews call for fair maps, supports petition to end gerrymandering

By Karen Kidd | 5 years ago

A Republican Illinois House representative from the 93rd District earlier this week renewed her call for fair maps and pushed support for an independent map-drawing petition following a U.S. Supreme Court decision not to hear gerrymander cases.

From Chicago City Wire

Legal support service president slams Cook County Board's approval of Just Housing Amendment

By Karen Kidd | 5 years ago

The Cook County Board of Commissioner's decision last month to limit what property owners can ask potential tenants about their criminal histories was shortsighted and will have long-reaching effects, according to the president of a Chicago legal support services firm.

From Prairie State Wire

Illinios education officials want half the state's budget, Wirepoints warns

By Karen Kidd | 6 years ago

Illinois education officials are out to get half of the state's budget—and they just might—to the detriment of the state's taxpayers, according to an online Wirepoints newsletter issued earlier today.

From Prairie State Wire

IPI: FBI's secret Madigan recordings in affidavit reveal nothing new about speaker's operations

By Karen Kidd | 6 years ago

Illinois's powerful House Speaker Michael Madigan (D-Chicago), earlier today revealed to be a target in the same FBI investigation that led to an extortion indictment against a Chicago alderman, is not accused of anything new, a think tank reported.

From Prairie State Wire

Legislature overrides some Rauner vetoes, fails on others

By Karen Kidd | 6 years ago

Illinois's outgoing Republican governor saw a few of his vetoes overridden during the Fall Veto Session in Springfield and a few new laws have been passed, a QUAD city area lawmaker said in a summary recap released last week.

From Prairie State Wire

State facing huge debt for public-sector retiree health benefits, says Wirepoints

By Karen Kidd | 6 years ago

Illinois's "other debt disaster" is $73 billion in unfunded state retiree health insurance benefits and more than twice that amount owed over the next four decades, according to a special report issued this week by an online news outlet.

From Prairie State Wire

FY19 Budget: 'Not one penny should be spent on pork,' Ives says

By Karen Kidd | 6 years ago

Illinois Rep. Jeanne Ives (R-Wheaton) believes state lawmakers need to reject political pork spending that was hidden in the budget passed earlier this year.

From Prairie State Wire

Pro-economic liberty group launches campaign against soaring Illinois property taxes

By Karen Kidd | 6 years ago

Supporting a proposal to cut Illinois property taxes in half and a slate of political candidates who would help make that happen is part of Liberty Principles PAC's recently announced "Save Your Home" campaign.

From Prairie State Wire

People in prime working age are fleeing Illinois, think tank reports

By Karen Kidd | 6 years ago

Not only is Illinois' overall population in deep decline, the number of people in prime working age also is going down in the state, a Chicago-based Conservative think tank said in a recent report.

GOP House hopeful Hebein says new state budget is 'not balanced'

By Karen Kidd | Jun 7, 2018

The recent bipartisan budget agreement recently signed by Gov. Bruce Rauner isn't good and reflects the business-as-usual attitude among Springfield lawmakers, a Mt. Greenwood Republican who is running for the state House said during a recent interview.

Hurley helping to make things worse in Illinois, Hebein says

By Karen Kidd | May 31, 2018

With recent census data showing Chicago's population shrank for the third year in a row, a Mount Greenwood Republican running for the state House said during a recent interview that the cause isn't difficult to find.

Hebein says statewide property tax hike would leave some Illinois communities 'in ruins'

By Karen Kidd | May 24, 2018

The Chicago-area Republican running against a three-term incumbent in the 35th House District paints a stark image of what will happen in Illinois if a proposed statewide 1 percent property tax were to see the light of day.

Make Illinois 'a state where you want to raise your family,' 35th House District candidate says

By Karen Kidd | May 18, 2018

Illinois ranks among the worst states in the nation in which to do business and needs to gird itself better to become more economically competitive, a Chicago-area resident running against a three-term incumbent in the 35th District House seat said.

Harvey alderman says city's insolvency, corruption greater issue than pension crisis

By Karen Kidd | Apr 19, 2018

Harvey 3rd Ward Alderman Christopher Clark, a possible mayoral hopeful, says he can't confirm a recent story about city fire pensioners receiving $25 million in pensions after paying little or nothing into the fund, but he said the city's pension woes are a symptom of a greater disease.

From Prairie State Wire

Better Government Association says Obama didn't say fathers in the home is a solution to gun violence -- but he did

By Karen Kidd | 7 years ago

Sometimes the fact-checker needs a good fact-checking.