Results tagged “senators”

NIU classes resumed today after a vigil last night drew 10,000 people from the university and beyond, including Governor Blagojevich, Senators Dick Durbin and Barack Obama, and secretary of the department of health and human services Michael Leavitt.

Illinois Senator Dick Durbin

Hear us now, believe us later, but if you don't want to end up with a crappy solution to a shitty problem, it might be a great time to contact your State Representatives and Senators and to tell them that you really, really do want to ride the CTA in the "ehh" manner you're used to, rather than the CTA-lite version that the CTA board just passed if they don't get more funds. Tony Coppoletta...

As all of us watch the terrible news in Minnesota unfold, many state governments are starting to look at their own inventory of bridges. Illinois ranks in the middle of bridge condition when compared to other states, according to an AP article in The Daily Southtown, with around 10% of our bridges rated "structurally deficient" - slightly better than the national average of 12%. Yesterday Governor Rod Blagojevich ordered immediate inspections of high-volume bridges and...

Yesterday Willowbrook family practitioner Steve Sauerberg announced his candidacy for the United States Senate, hoping that he will be the lucky Illinois Republican to challenge Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin for his seat in Congress. “Sen. Dick Durbin has been on the government payroll for the last 37 years.... Quite simply, he is part of the problem in Washington, D.C.” Sauerberg told Crain's Chicago Business earlier this week. With no other name-brand Republicans willing to...

Here at Chicagoist we've been watching the ongoing developments of HB 429, the pending legislation in the state House of Representatives, with a cautious gaze. Readers will remember that HB 429 is intended to bring Illinois in "compliance" with the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Granholm v. Heald, which stated that non-reciprocal wine shipping laws were a violation of interstate commerce laws and the 21st Amendment to the Constitution repealing Prohibition. If signed into law...

By mid 2008 all US citizens are scheduled to be carrying documents that identify our names, addresses, birthdays, gender, photograph, and some kind of biometric marker to any federally sponsored agency that requests the information. Real ID act which gave The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) the authority over the contents of a national ID card was tacked onto a tsunami relief bill back in 2005. It passed in the US House (368-58) and Senate (100-0)

Chicagoist has always been quick to point out that money in politics is a necessary evil. The money isn’t going away anytime soon, but two of the evildoers are facing the music.

Ah, February. You went by so fast, yet you left us with so much political discord. As usual, County Board President John Stroger and Commissioner Forrest Claypool were all up in each other’s business. Maybe we could solve the county’s financial woes by having these two battle it out in a pay-per-view cage match. For a day or so it looked like Senators John McCain and Barack Obama might engage in a full out war...

Last May the Supreme Court ruled that states that didn't allow out-of state wineries to sell their product directly to customers (be it via phone, in person, or online) were violating laws protecting interstate commerce. The ruling invalidated laws on the books in 20 states, including Illinois. It was the correct ruling. Allowing direct wine sales to customers spurs growth in the industry. Wine consumers have a wider range of choices and prices to make...

Henry Hyde, 6th District Congressman since 1975, is retiring next year, and the battle to take over his seat is heating up. Democrat Christine Cegelis, pictured at right, did respectably against Hyde in 2004, and appeared to be the leading Democrat in the race to represent the rapidly changing district, which includes parts of Cook and DuPage counties. However, Rahm Emanuel, 5th District Congressman and Chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, has not...

The turkey's in the oven, the parades are on TV, and jocks turned analysts are ready for some football. Thanksgiving is here! Before indulging in the big bird and enough sides to feed a small army, let's take a moment to give thanks.

Yesterday Senators Obama and Durbin both gave speeches criticizing the Bush administration’s policies in the Iraq war and called for US troops to return home.

Now that Harriet Miers, the legal sensation that never was, is gone and forgotten, Chicagoist can focus our attention on the latest Bush Supreme Court nominee, Samuel Alito.

George Bush’s nominee to replace William Rehnquist as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, John Roberts, is expected to be confirmed by the Senate next week, but Illinois Senators Dick Durbin and Barack Obama will not be extending their support to Roberts’ nomination. On Thursday Durbin, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, voted against the nomination, but Roberts was still confirmed by a vote of 13-5. Durbin’s no vote was expected, as he...

An open seat Congressional race is like catnip for people in politics -- and they don't come often. Only days after Congressman Henry Hyde's announcement that he will not run for reelection in 2006, one Democrat is in the race for sure, and two Republicans have officially announced their intended candidacies for the Sixth Congressional District. Of the two Republicans, State Sen. Peter Roskam of Glen Ellyn seems to be the front runner. A...

Yesterday Chicagoist wondered how organizations like the Hispanic Democratic Organization might play into Mayor Richard M. Daley's new campaign contribution restrictions. The Chicago Tribune learned the answer: HDO and other political committees will face no limitations. The upshot is that while city contractors will now be limited from making direct contributions to the mayor's campaign committee, contractors now have a green light to make contributions to Daley sponsored political committees like HDO, the Coalition for...