Free Republic

Gun dealers say they are selling more firearms than ever in the Chicago area since the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol — and they predict sales will shatter the records set during last year’s civil unrest and in the early days of the coronavirus panic. And their top salesman is fear. Richard Pearson, executive director of the Illinois State Rifle Association, traces the surge in sales to the Black Lives Matter protests last summer and other civil unrest. “People are worried about it,” Pearson said. “And so, they are beginning to wonder if the police can protect them. And many...

Gov. J.B. Pritzker activated 500 Illinois National Guard troops Thursday, with plans to send them to Washington D.C. "at the request of the Department of Defense, his office announced. “The U.S. Department of Defense has asked Illinois to assist federal and local agencies in this continued effort, and Major General Neely and I are ready to ensure that the state of Illinois continues its proud legacy of protecting our democracy,” Pritzker said in a statement. “Ultimately, we must root out the dark forces of racism, white supremacy and disinformation that have created this moment, but until we do that, our...

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker was all smiles about Georgia’s U.S. Senate election results Wednesday, saying he’s optimistic that the federal government will come through with more state aid now that Republicans can’t block it. At a news conference in Chicago, Pritzker was asked about how soon he thinks the state’s multi-billion dollar budget deficit would be closed now that it’s more likely that Illinois and other states would see federal revenue passed down. “I’m thrilled about the fact that the Senate changed hands,” he said. “As far as how that will affect the state of Illinois, I think there are...

CHICAGO — Governor JB Pritzker called on the U.S. Congress to impeach and remove President Donald Trump after he continued to falsely claim the presidential election was stolen after rioting protesters stormed the U.S. Capitol Wednesday.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s administration refiled an emergency COVID-19 rule similar to one that expired Monday to continue statewide mask and social distancing requirements for Illinoisans for another 150 days. ... “Any individual who is over age two and able to medically tolerate a face covering (a mask or cloth face covering) shall be required to cover their nose and mouth with a face covering when in a public place and unable to maintain at least a six-foot social distance,” the rule states. “This requirement applies whether in an indoor space, such as a store, or in an outdoor space.”

CHICAGO, Ill. (WTVO) — Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker pushed back against notions that his coronavirus mitigations were designed to strip individual freedoms away from residents at his daily briefing on Thursday. “People may have the notion that we’re taking their freedoms away, but there are laws on the books that say the job of government…is to step in and try to reduce the disaster and save as many lives as we can,” he said. “We’ve put the science and facts out there throughout this…why those mitigations are in place. There are people who don’t want to believe them and say...

Gov. J.B. Pritzker is reaching out for help for the beleaguered restaurant and bar industry, the same industry facing restrictions from his state-imposed mitigations. “I want to urge the Congress to step up and include in the stimulus package support for restaurants and bars that have been so hard hit by the virus,” said Pritzker Tuesday at his daily COVID-19 briefing.

An emotional Gov. J.B. Pritzker clarified his family’s Thanksgiving plans on Tuesday, saying his wife and teenage daughter plan to remain in Florida “indefinitely” after a false social media post sparked “hateful, threatening messages” directed at the high school student. Pausing briefly to clear his throat before discussing the matter at his daily coronavirus briefing, the Democratic governor said the posts falsely portrayed his daughter as flouting COVID-19 restrictions at an outdoor restaurant with friends, igniting a firestorm directed at the girl even after the governor’s office had made it clear she was not in the photograph. “That was a...

Teddi Pritzker and her friends openly violate her father's Covid restrictions. Theodora “Teddi” Pritzker was spotted at a packed table in violation of Covid restrictions over the weekend. Teddi, Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s daughter, was photographed seated at a table for 14 at Chicago Cut Steakhouse. A Twitter user posted the photo of Teddi, who formerly attended Francis W. Parker in Chicago, and a closely-assembled group of friends. “10 person outdoor limit for thee....jb 18yo daughter didn’t seem to abide by her dictator Father’s demands while dining outdoors ... Following more restrictive rules imposed by Pritzker, groups of 10 or more...

Anyone know why the Illinois State Troopers assigned to the Fatass Detail went around to to different locations in Lake Geneva (Wisconsin) the other night shutting down security cameras or making sure they were pointed away from a certain bar? Or why everyone who working a certain bar was ordered to surrender their cell phones? Did they not want pictures of Governor (Pritzker) Fatass's party leaking out to the public he has ordered to remain indoors, masked and ignorant from seeing what was going on with the Ruling Class?

Between the civil unrest, the corona virus pandemic and a divisive election Tuesday, business owners are weighing the prospect of further unrest in a way they haven’t during past elections. Shoppers may see more stores doing business behind boarded-up windows or closing early Tuesday as businesses take extra safety precautions. “I’ve got four more jobs after this one,” Joe Daniels, an employee of Midlothian-based Cook County Board-Up, said as he wrapped up a job on Clybourn. “We’re headed to the Gold Coast next,” he said. “They’re all worried about the election.” Retailers are used to responding to emergencies like severe...

Here’s a closer look at the governor’s political plays. On the federal side, $2,256,300 to the Senate Majority PAC and various giving to help elect House Democrats: $256,300 total to Nancy Pelosi Victory Fund; $1 million to the House Majority PAC and $259,100 total to the Cheri Bustos Victory Fund. Bustos is the chair of the Democratic House political operation. Pritzker also gave $1.5 million to Priorities USA Action, a main pro-Biden super PAC, and $721,300 to the Biden Victory Fund, which was dispersed to a variety of swing state Democratic parties. On the state party front, Pritzker gave $250,000...

J.B. Pritzker keeps telling Illinoisans that his coronavirus mitigation efforts are guided by science. After combing though hundreds of emails and a confidential coronavirus report, the big takeaway is that scientists advising Pritzker say coronavirus test positivity rates that guide his pandemic response are unreliable. Under the heading "The Limitations Of Data We Have Today," the report states: "Changes in the total number of test-positive cases are unreliable. These numbers should not be used to determine policy." The same Pritzker pandemic metrics that a University of Chicago scientist who advises Pritzker's administration recently described to a newspaper as "not scientifically...

A virtual rally in support of a proposed constitutional amendment to change Illinois' income tax system to a graduated-rate tax was sidetracked by Cook County President Toni Preckwinkle delivering a lengthy pitch for State’s Attorney Kim Foxx’s reelection. The rally of high-profile Democrats, hosted by the proposed amendment’s chief supporter, Gov. J.B. Pritzker, also featured Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton alleging amendment opponents were billionaires fighting against “communities of color and women and working-class families all across the state.” But pro-amendment discussion, dubbed the “fair tax” by supporters, gave way when Preckwinkle, the Cook County Democratic Party chair and a strong...

Illinois is still the “shut up and take it” state. You might want to ask what are the lockdown Democrats who control Illinois, Cook County, Chicago and many suburbs really telling us? They endorse the catch-and-release prosecutor of Cook County, who fancies herself a social justice warrior while allowing violent offenders out on the streets. They make their coronavirus shutdown decrees, craft their tax-and-spend-and-never-cut budgets. They push their “fair tax” and that cheap 6 mph over the limit traffic camera Chicago speed trap to grab your cash. Pritzker keeps pushing his progressive “fair tax,” which he his fellow Democrats sell...

CHICAGO (WLS) -- New COVID-19 restrictions on indoor dining from Governor Pritzker in effect in much of the Chicago area have drawn pushback from suburban mayors and restaurant owners. The restrictions are now in effect for suburban Cook County as well as DuPage, Kane, Kankakee and Will counties. They go into effect in Chicago on Friday and Lake and McHenry counties on Saturday. A full list of the new COVID-19 mitigation measures is included at the bottom of this article. Orland Park, Libertyville, Itasca, Morton Grove and even Aurora have asked Governor Pritzker to reconsider the restrictions.

CHICAGO — Gov. J.B. Pritzker keeps telling Illinoisans that his coronavirus mitigation efforts are guided by science. "Science twice removed" might be closer to the truth, public records show. After combing though hundreds of pages of emails and a confidential coronavirus report obtained through the spoils of another man's Freedom of Information request, the big takeaway is that scientists advising Pritzker say coronavirus test positivity rates that guide his pandemic response are unreliable.

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Illinois Senate Republicans urged Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Wednesday to release the specific data he is using to impose restrictions on indoor dining and bar service in an effort to slow the spread of the coronavirus. Senate Minority Leader Bill Brady called for a public hearing for Pritzker would lay out the numbers he says show that the autumn surge in COVID-19 is fueled by close contact among restaurant and bar patrons.

Kane County Judge Kevin Busch granted a temporary restraining order to prevent the enforcement of an indoor dining ban at FoxFire restaurant in Geneva.. Gov. JB Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Public Health is asking the Illinois Second District Appellate Court to reverse a decision by Kane County Judge Kevin Busch granting a temporary restraining order to prevent the enforcement of an indoor dining ban at FoxFire restaurant in Geneva. In their appeal, Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Public Health ask for the order to be vacated and for the temporary restraining order to be dissolved. The appeal...

With the state of Illinois seeing increases in coronavirus cases and hospitalizations, Gov. J.B. Pritzker says there are no plans currently in place to turn Chicago’s McCormick Place into a field hospital to deal with a potential surge in patients. The convention center, which was prepared as an emergency field hospital earlier this year before being decommissioned when coronavirus cases and hospitalizations began to decrease, could still be used in that capacity in the future, but Pritzker says that advances in the treatment of coronavirus, and a better understanding of how the virus spreads, mean that the facility will not...