Friday, May 17, 2013
Passed by a 35-21 vote, the bill now goes to the desk of Gov. Pat Quinn, who has not yet said whether he intends to sign it.
By a vote of 35-21, the Illinois Senate approved legislation on Friday that would allow doctors in the state to prescribe marijuana as pain relief for severe medical conditions. The bill now goes to Gov. Pat Quinn for his signature. According to the Chicago Tribune, the bill covers 33 specific conditions—including multiple sclerosis, cancer and HIV infection—and includes several controls, with a four-year trial program, dosage limits, fingerprinting, background checks and licensed dispensing centers. “This bill is filled with walls to keep this limited,” the paper quoted sponsoring Sen. Bill Haine (D-Alton), who urged lawmakers to pass the legislation as a compassionate measure for those suffering with extreme pain. In opposition, Sen. …
Thursday, May 9, 2013
A bill that has already passed the Illinois House could pave the way for limited prescriptions of pot.
Illinois lawmakers may be poised to enact one of the toughest medical marijuana laws in the nation after a Senate Committee moved a bill Wednesday allowing those with a limited list of illness to obtain a prescription for the drug. The bill has passed the Illinois House and Gov. Pat Quinn has said he is open to the proposal, reported the Chicago Tribune. The Senate Committee voted 10-5 even after law enforcement officials objected on the grounds that the bill does not include provisions for driving under the influence of marijuana, the Trib reported. The law would allow patients to obtain 2.5 ounces of marijuana every two weeks. Sixty pot dispensaries would be set up throughout the state. The bill is sponsored by former State’s Attorney …
Thursday, April 18, 2013
Gov. Quinn has declared a state of emergency in the wake of flooding throughout the Chicago area.
Governor Pat Quinn declared a state of emergency as state agencies prepared to provide assistance to local governments throughout northern Illinois dealing with severe river and flash flooding. The state of emergency ensures that state resources are activated and that the federal government is aware that a disaster declaration is likely. It also allows the state to request resources as needed, such as personnel and equipment. State and local emergency personnel have been on the ground in hardest hit areas since early this morning. "Heavy rainfall over the past few days has created dangerous flooding in areas across the state," Governor Quinn stated in a press release. "Everyone should stay home and off the roads if possible. To ensure …
Sunday, April 14, 2013
Residents of our state will soon have the right to carry concealed weapons in public, but that doesn't mean safety is guaranteed.
Saturday, March 2, 2013
United City of Yorkville officials say they do not anticipate any hits in the $85 billion in cuts from the sequester. The state of Illinois though will take some hits, including a $33.4 million loss in funding for primary and secondary education that may
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
Executive Committee members voted largely along party lines Tuesday night.
By Shannon Antinori Members of the Illinois House Executive Committee voted 6-5 Tuesday night to advance the Religious Freedom and Marriage Fairness Act, which would legalize same-sex marriage in Illinois. Senate Bill 10 was approved by State Senators on Valentine’s Day. It now heads for a full vote by the House of Representatives. On Tuesday night, committee members voted along party lines, with Democrats supporting the marriage fairness act and Republicans voting against the measure, save for one exception, according to the Huffington Post. Democrat Eddie Lee Jackson Sr. of East St. Louis voted against the bill. No definite date has been set for a full House vote on the bill.
Thursday, February 7, 2013
Hatcher, a Yorkville Republican, reacts to Quinn's state of the state address.
Rep. Kay Hatcher of Yorkville said Gov. Pat Quinn's Feb. 6 State of the State speech showed misplaced priorities. Hatcher, like her Republican colleagues in the state Senate, Jim Oberweis, of Sugar Grove, and Sen. Karen McConnaughay of South Elgin, said the governor failed to address the state's most-serious problems of high unemployment, financial insolvency and pension reform. Instead, Hatcher said the governor focused on social issues, such as gun control, legalization of gay marriage and raising the state's minimum wage to $10 an hour. “With billions in unpaid bills, an unprecedented one billion dollar pension payment looming and families throughout the state looking for work, what we needed to hear today was the governor’s vision for …
Wednesday, January 9, 2013
No determination of when the 10-judge panel will decide whether to look at last year's decision.
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Wednesday, January 9
Illinois' attorney general Lisa Madigan has asked the entire 7th Circuit Court of Appeals to review a December ruling that overturned the state's ban on the concealed carry of handguns in public. The Chicago Tribune reports that the move is aimed at challenging the decision by a three-judge panel of the court, which ruled 2-1 that the state's longtime ban violated the Second Amendment. If the court accepts the petition, the case would be reviewed by all 10 appellate judges. If the court rejects the petition, Madigan would have to decide whether to appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court. "In ruling that Illinois must allow individuals to carry ready-to-use firearms in public, the 7th Circuit Court’s decision goes beyond what the U.S. Supreme …
Friday, January 4, 2013
ABC's Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Lt. Governor Shelia Simon stopped by The Tie Bar in Naperville to advocate for gay marriage in Illinois on Wednesday afternoon.
The Tie Bar owners Greg Shugar and his wife Gina are proving that small businesses are capable of doing big things - like teaming up with a celebrity and politician to rally support for same-sex marriage. On Wednesday afternoon, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, a star of ABC's 'Modern Family', and Lt. Governor Shelia Simon visited The Tie Bar in Naperville to advocate the passing of gay marriage legislation in Illinois. The Tie Bar, a popular Naperville-based online men's neckware company, recently partnered with Ferguson and his fiancé Justin Mikita's Tie the Knot organization. The Tie the Knot bow tie collection is designed and sold by The Tie Bar with all proceeds benefiting marriage equality. Ferguson, Mikita and Simon will travel to Springfield…
Tuesday, November 6, 2012
About 15 minutes after the polls closed, news media sources put Illinois in the Obama column, giving the president 20 electoral votes.
President Barack Obama won Illinois’ 20 electoral votes on Tuesday, defeating Republican Mitt Romney. Illinois, of course, was never in play. The only visit the president made to his home state late in the campaign came Oct. 25, when he returned to the South Side to cast an early ballot at the Martin Luther King Community Center. Obama is the first president to ever vote early in a presidential election. The Wall St. Journal and the Associated Press called the state about 15 minutes after the polls closed. The president's handling of the economy is a major factor in many voters' decision this year. "This election bears serious significance for our future," said Sheila Brady of Orland Park, outside her Fernway Elementary School polling …
maribelle
8:23 am on Wednesday, May 22, 2013
Real problems for the Mexican Economy. 95million a year lost just due to legalization of CA CO and MI. What's next no more vaca's in Mexico? Just make it legal and leave CORPORATE (goverment) AMERICA OUT OF IT COMPLETLY, or we will have price gouging, collusion, and ever other rat bastard underhand trick our gov uses! more ›