Free Republic

The Village of Dolton, Illinois' monthly town hall meeting has made national headlines yet again for fiery confrontations with scandal-ridden mayor Tiffany Henyard. Henyard has been accused of misdeeds ranging from weaponizing police in retaliatory business raids to spending taxpayer money on luxuries like traveling to Las Vegas. Last month, Henyard reportedly vetoed the board’s resolution to probe her spending over purported misuse of funds. While the FBI has allegedly already begun to investigate Henyard for purportedly misusing her local police force, the board’s resolution had called for the FBI to do further investigation into her spending of the town’s...

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — The Illinois Senate's minority leader proposed legislation Tuesday to overhaul Gov. J.B. Pritzker's Prisoner Review Board after it released a convicted domestic abuser who then attacked a pregnant Chicago woman with a knife and fatally stabbed her 11-year-old son. Republican Leader John Curran criticized Pritzker and said he plans legislation to require that board appointees have 20 years of criminal justice experience as a prosecutor, defense attorney, probation officer or judge, and that each member undergo annual training on domestic violence and sexual assault and the warning signs that precede repeat attacks. Other proposed measures would...

A resounding message, “Go Red… No More Blue, No Matter Who!” has become the battle cry of frustrated Chicagoans facing neglect from long-standing Democratic leadership.

Top staffers for Democrat John Fetterman are leaving his office for more progressive jobs as the Pennsylvania senator moves more to the center on key issues. The everyman Democrat, who loves Carhartt hoodies and dawning a disheveled goatee, has staunchly supported Israel's war on Hamas and denounced calls for a ceasefire. He's also expressed support for increased U.S. border security, another position that puts him at odds with his party. The freshman Democrat was elected after securing support from some of the most liberal members of Congress in 2022. The towering 6 foot 8 inch senator, previously supported Democrat Socialist...

After almost two weeks of uncertainty, Burke edged out Clayton Harris III for the nomination, with mail ballots tallied Friday sealing the most hotly contested race of the primary a full 10 days after the polls closed. The Associated Press called the race over — and the two candidates agreed.

It’s another horrific, tragic story, the likes of which we’ve been seeing all too often these days. A convict serving a 16-year sentence for a home invasion and aggravated assault was released early in Illinois in early March, and the very next day, he invaded the Chicago apartment of Laterria Smith and stabbed her and her 11-year-old son, killing the boy.The brave youngster was trying to save his mother from the attack, and was stabbed in the chest.The killer, Crosetti Brand, 37, who was previously in a relationship with Smith, was let loose on March 10. He was cut free...

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – Illinois lawmakers are considering a bill that would create a state-based guaranteed income program. State Sen. Ram Villivalam (D-Chicago) sponsors Senate Bill 3462, which calls on Illinois to adopt such a program after the 2027 calendar year. Through this legislation, residents who meet certain qualifications would be eligible for monthly $1,000 cash payments, regardless of immigration status. It’s unclear how long the payments would last. According to the bill’s language, those potentially eligible for $1,000 cash payments include people who: Provide care for a child or other specified dependent Recently gave birth or adopted a child Enroll...

A Chicago veterinarian has been arrested for possessing and exchanging child pornography just days before he was due to fly to California to collect a baby he has purchased via surrogate. Adam Stafford King, 39, allegedly posted online about his plans to sexually abuse the infant boy once he was in his custody. King, a veterinarian who specializes in ophthalmology, was arrested on March 22 for trading child pornography under the username @pervchiguy in a chat with an unidentified man in New York. King posted in the chat that he liked young children “in the single digits” and preferred boys....

A 22-year-old man has been arrested in connection with a stabbing spree Wednesday afternoon in Rockford, Illinois, that left four people dead, including a U.S. postal worker and a teenage girl, and seven other victims injured, police said. The suspect, Christian Soto, was arrested in the frenzied attack, according to the Rockford Police Department. Soto faces four counts of murder and seven counts of attempted murder, as well as two counts of home invasion with a dangerous weapon, authorities said. A motive for the attack remains under investigation, police said. The names of the slain victims were not immediately released,...

The Daily Mail reports that eight states are planning to BAN the sale of gas-powered cars entirely – after Biden unveiled ambitious plans to phase them out by 2032. California was the first state to adopt the plan to ban sales of gas cars by 2035. Electric vehicles made up 7.6 percent of new car sales in the US last year. It seems clear that the government will ban gas stations at some point, and they don’t seem to care that you can’t afford an EV. The rule, first adopted by California, means that automakers and dealerships would be banned...

On Monday’s edition of NBC’s “MTP Now,” Rep. Mike Quigley (D-IL) said that the only way to have success against Hamas is through diplomacy and “Hamas is much more than a military organization, it’s a movement. And the manner in which Israel has conducted this war is a recruiting tool for Hamas. So, they’re really not accomplishing what they want to do if the destruction occurs at the level it has so far. They need to be much more surgical and tactical.” Quigley stated, “[A]ny success there is going to be done diplomatically. So, those efforts to get a ceasefire...

– Illinois House Republicans are both condemning and praising a recent federal judge ruling about illegal immigrants being able to carry firearms for protection. Earlier this month, Northern District of Illinois federal Judge Sharon Johnson Coleman ruled in favor of Heriberto Carbajal-Flores, a foreign national in the u.S. illegally who was charged with unlawful possession of a firearm. She said the law violates the Second Amendment as applied in this one case. “The Court finds that Carbajal-Flores’ criminal record, containing no improper use of a weapon, as well as the non-violent circumstances of his arrest do not support a finding...

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — A state parole board member resigned Monday after recommending the release of a man who a day later attacked a pregnant Chicago woman with a knife and fatally stabbed her 11-year-old son while he tried to protect her, according to authorities. The Illinois Prisoner Review Board's handling of the case prompted Gov. J.B. Pritzker to order that procedures for dealing with situations involving domestic violence be revamped. Pritzker announced that LeAnn Miller, 63, of Junction submitted her resignation. Miller had prepared a report recommending Crosetti Brand's release from prison. The 37-year-old felon had repeatedly violated orders...

CHICAGO (CBS) -- The gap in the race for Cook County State's Attorney has narrowed even more. The Chicago Board of Elections added more than 10,000 votes to its total count on Saturday after its director of public information said he mistakenly left out some vote-by-mail ballots. The unofficial count now stands at 368,990 ballots cast after the 10,659 additional votes were added, bringing the citywide turnout to 24.44%. There are 1,509,554 active registered voters. "In adding up the total number of Vote By Mail ballots the Board had received back so far, I mistakenly left out additional ballots that...

Business Strong Illinois economy has been very good for business Posted March 24, 2024 5:02 am By Frank Manzo IV Don’t tell the naysayers, but Illinois’ economy continues to remain strong. We are America’s sixth-largest state and fifth-largest economy, now generating $1.1 trillion annually — more than 13 other states combined. Indeed, according to data from the Bureau of Economic Analysis, Illinois’ economy has expanded by $217 billion over the past five years. That’s more than all the goods and services produced every year in North Dakota, South Dakota, and Alaska combined. Put simply, our businesses, workers, residents, and visitors...

Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) gave us another amusing demonstration of his ability to humiliate Joe Biden’s unqualified judicial nominees during Wednesday's confirmation hearing. United States District Judge Nancy Maldonado of the Northern District of Illinois, who has been nominated by Joe Biden for a spot on the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, had previously signed a brief supporting a ban on "assault weapons" in Illinois state courts in the 2010s, yet, when he asked her to define "assault weapons,” she couldn’t. “You said, ‘assault weapons may be banned because they’re extraordinarily dangerous and are not appropriate...

(NEXSTAR) – Tax season isn’t really fun for anyone, but some states’ residents have it harder than others this time of year. As families around the country collect their paperwork and get ready to file, people in Illinois may find themselves with a heftier tax bill than their neighbors in other states. An updated analysis by MoneyGeek, a personal finance site, evaluates how “tax friendly” each state is by calculating the tax burden on the average citizen. States with low tax burdens earned an A, while those with the highest tax burden earned Fs. The state that scored worst overall...

The Kane County Board appeared to swing to the right Tuesday as three conservatives who align themselves with former President Donald Trump were on the verge of sweeping out their more moderate colleagues. If the early unofficial results as of 9 p.m. Tuesday night stood, the formation of Kane County’s version of a Freedom Caucus may have begun with Trump-friendly conservatives unseating at least two fellow Republicans, each with more than a decade of experience. Half of the 24-member county board was up for election. Eight of the 12 county seats on primary ballots are represented by Democrats. But few...

Elon Musk’s Tesla has suffered another safety setback after a tenacious lithium-ion fire battery suddenly hit a Tesla EV driving on an Ohio highway which led to a three-hour closure of the northbound lanes of Route 255 in Bethalto, Illinois on Sunday. Thankfully, the driver and their passengers safely escaped the burning vehicle before it was too late. The Alton Telegraph reports that a Tesla electric vehicle caught fire while traveling northbound on Route 255 in Bethalto, Illinois on Sunday, prompting a major response from multiple fire departments and the Madison County Hazmat Team. The incident, which began around noon,...

More than two dozen Palestinian, Muslim and Arab groups across Chicago boycotted the White House's invitation to several community groups this week, citing the Biden administration's stance on the Israel-Hamas conflict. In a joint letter to the White House on Thursday, leaders of the groups said there was "no point in more meetings" since the administration "already knows the position of the aforementioned groups and our allies across the nation" to have an "immediate and permanent" cease-fire. The groups said "the White House has not only refused to call for a ceasefire, but also enabled this blatant campaign of ethnic...