Free Republic

A downstate judge on Friday struck down the ban on high-power firearms and high-capacity ammunition magazines that Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed into law earlier this year, a ruling the Illinois attorney general’s office immediately appealed to the state Supreme Court. The scope of the ruling was a subject of dispute, with the attorney for the state lawmaker who was the lead plaintiff in the lawsuit arguing that it applies statewide and Pritzker’s office contending it does not. “We expected political grandstanding from those more beholden to the gun lobby than to the safety of their constituents and today’s ruling comes...

Data from the Illinois State Board of Education documents a dysfunctional public school system. There are 53 schools where not a single student is able to do math at the level expected for his or her grade. There are 622 schools where only one tenth of the students can read at grade level. There are 930 schools where only a tenth of the students can do math at grade level. Many of these schools' performances are rated "commendable" by the State Board of Education. Ninety-seven percent of the state's public school teachers are rated as "excellent" or "proficient." However, fewer...

Pair has lost five races in the past three cycles combined Two failed Democratic political candidates will bring their experience to the University of Chicago’s Institute of Politics as fellows for winter-spring seminars. Robert O’Rourke, also known as “Beto,” recently completed a trifecta of losses — in 2018, he lost in a Texas U.S. Senate bid against Ted Cruz, in 2020 he lost in the Democratic primaries for president, and in 2022 he lost in a gubernatorial bid against Republican Greg Abbott. Fellow Democrat Tim Ryan knows something about losing as well — he lost to political outsider J.D. Vance...

CPD said both officers have served their time and are back on the street. CHICAGO (WLS) -- Damien Stewart admits he has made mistakes in the past, which includes breaking the law, but the 31-year-old man said he never did anything to deserve a beating from two Chicago police officers while in a holding cell at the 4th District almost four years ago. "They struck me. I don't know why they struck me. I didn't say anything, or make any aggressive movements," Stewart said. Stewart said it all started with a traffic stop at the corner of 75th and Stoney...

Democratic Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot suggested Thursday that street vendors stop using cash in order to quell Chicago’s crime spike.

As Gov. J.B. Pritzker was signing a sweeping gun ban and gun registry many law enforcement officers are refusing to enforce, the Pritzker family was opening a gun range as part of a museum under construction in Somers, Wis. The new facility will house the Pritzker Military Museum & Library, located at 104 S. Michigan Ave., in downtown Chicago. Pritzker’s cousin James Nicholas Pritzker, who in 2013 announced he is a transsexual now known as Jennifer N. Pritzker, is behind the push to move the collection north. According to Kenosha News, “the gun range and facility will be about 22,000...

At least 80 county sheriffs and prosecutors have vowed not to enforce the new Illinois gun control law that bans 170 kinds of semi-automatic rifles and places limits on ammunition magazines. “The right to keep and bear arms for defense of life, liberty and property is regarded as an inalienable right by the people,” said Iroquois County Sheriff Clinton Perzee. “I, among many others, believe that [House Bill 5471] is a clear violation of the 2nd Amendment to the US Constitution,” he added. Perzee said he would not use his jail to detain people solely for violating the new gun...

Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D) signed legislation Wednesday night banning commonly owned semiautomatic rifles and magazines which Democrats consider “high capacity.” The law took effect immediately with Pritzker’s signature. It allows those who already own the now-banned firearms to retain them, but requires that the owners register the guns with the Illinois State Police. Pritzker’s office released a statement upon his signing of the bill. It said, in part, “The new law also requires existing owners of semi-automatic rifles to register their ownership, ensuring that law enforcement knows the location of these weapons of war and who to hold accountable if...

Plans are in place to move Venezuelan asylum seekers, some sent from the Texas border to Chicago then to hotels in Des Plaines and Elk Grove, to a “congregant setting” in Chicago by the end of this month. State Sen. Laura Murphy (D-28th) of Des Plaines, the deputy state senate majority leader, representing parts of both Elk Grove Village and Des Plaines, said she attended a meeting late Tuesday with heads of the Illinois Dept. of Homeland Security, Illinois Dept. of Human Services, deputy governor, members of the Latino Caucus of the Illinois General Assembly, and other “interested parties” to...

Depending on who you ask, members of the billionaire Pritzker family of Chicago are either the proud descendants of a financial genius who are doing good by funding progressive causes — or a secretive dynasty who now back radical no-bail laws and the transgender movement. The most prominent member of the family today is Gov. J.B. Pritzker, 57, a longtime Democratic activist and supporter whose net worth is about $3.6 billion. His sister, Penny, 63, was co-chair of former President Barack Obama’s presidential campaign and later became his secretary for the Department of Commerce. This, despite her once serving on...

In Canada, when a disabled Canadian military veteran complained to Veterans Affairs about a delay in installing a wheelchair lift in her home, they offered to euthanize her. Lawrence MacAulay. Minister of Veterans' Affairs, explained "a wheelchair lift is just an expensive temporary solution. Euthanasia is an inexpensive permanent solution to the pains of disability. I don't blame staff for trying to persuade this vet to make one more sacrifice for our country." In Los Angeles, District Attorney George Gascón has ordered his prosecutors to "refrain from filing criminal charges against illegal immigrants because charges endanger their chances of remaining...

Two students, just 14 and 15 years old, were fatally shot in the head and two other teens were wounded in a shooting Friday afternoon near a high school on Chicago's West Side.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker issued his 37th COVID-19 disaster proclamation. Illinois is one of only 10 states living under an emergency order. Gov. J.B. Pritzker has issued his 37th COVID-19 disaster proclamation, extending his emergency powers through Jan. 5. When it ends, Pritzker will have held emergency powers for 1,029 of 1,452 days in office, or 70% of his term. None of Illinois’ neighboring states remain under emergency orders. Illinois is one of just 10 states nationwide still being ruled through emergency powers, with eight of the 10 led by Democratic governors. ... New York was once the epicenter of COVID...

Less than a month before those arrested in Illinois will no longer have the option of posting bail as a condition of release while awaiting trial, Gov. J.B. Pritzker quietly signed a package that makes significant changes to the law taking effect in January. In a press release Tuesday afternoon, Pritzker said the bill (HB1095) “addresses misinformation” and makes clarifications “that uphold the principle we fought to protect: to bring an end to a system where wealthy violent offenders can buy their way out of jail, while less fortunate nonviolent offenders wait in jail for trial.” The changes approved last...

Yes, we have Pedophile to the Elites, Jeffrey Epstein’s complete black book in addition to the flight logs going to and coming from Epstein’s private island. The picture below is a sample from the “black book” with redactions. We added the highlights.

The results are in for the Illinois Governor’s race and DDHQ has called it for Democrat J.B. Pritzker over Republican challenger Darren Bailey.It was always going to be an uphill battle for Bailey, given Pritzker’s incumbency and huge financial advantage, plus the political realities of Illinois (read: Chicago). Still, in the closing days of the race, internal polling showed Bailey closing the gap to two points — within the four-point margin of error.And it’s not unheard of for Illinois to elect a Republican Governor — Pritzker’s immediate predecessor was Republican Bruce Rauner. Of course, in 2018, Pritzker trounced Rauner by...

Bailey accuses Pritzker of planning COVID-19 vaccine requirement for Illinois school children

A Chicago man has been arrested and charged after authorities say he left threatening voicemails for a Republican gubernatorial candidate. Scott Lennox, 21, said in one message that he was going “to skin Darren Bailey alive” after killing the candidate’s family, according to a filing from the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office that was obtained by The Epoch Times. “He better kill himself and if he doesn’t, I am going to kill him,” Lennox said. Lennox also described Bailey—an Illinois state senator who is running against Democrat Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker—as a racist white person and said he knew where...

Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D) and Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) have seen their leads shrink in Illinois, though both are still expected to prevail in their respective races, according to a new poll. An Emerson College Polling-WGN-TV-The Hill survey released on Wednesday showed 50 percent of very likely voters voting for Pritzker, compared to 41 percent for Republican Darren Bailey. The same poll had Pritzker in a much wider lead ahead of Bailey last month at 51 percent and 36 percent, respectively.

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Parades are known for drawing crowds, and with them, politicians looking for exposure and potential votes. But in this election season, they were few and far between at Chicago's 70th annual Columbus Day parade. "You have parades that have become very controversial for a variety of political reasons and politicians don't want to alienate any part of a constituency, especially a large part of the constituency," said Laura Washington, ABC7 Political Analyst. Columbus Day is among them. The controversy is tied to protests about the treatment of indigenous people that led to Mayor Lightfoot to order Columbus...