Author Archive

One incumbent sails to victory, two former at-large council members return and the mayor welcomes two newcomers to the horseshoe. Peoria’s City Council election on April 9 was quite a game changer. With just 12 percent voter turnout, those who cast their ballots managed to open the door for new faces—and new opportunities—for the...
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Following fifteen months of debate and negotiations, the largest state employee union has approved its next three-year contract. Since July of last year, leading members of the American Federation of State and County Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Council 13 have been negotiating with Governor Quinn’s administration on a new three-year contract after the previous agreement expired...
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Following the swearing in of several new members to the Illinois General Assembly early last month, some Peoria residents are losing faith in the passage of a “perfect” pension reform plan. The clock struck midnight for lawmakers in Springfield at the swearing in of the 98th General Assembly on January 9 of this year. Lawmakers...
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Candidates are lining up to run for Peoria District seats. It’s only January, but candidates for some Peoria District City Council races are already looking toward the spring elections. Sandberg Not Running for 1st District Gary Sandburg, a current at-large City Council member, attempted to place his name on the ballot to run for the 1st District...
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Illinois swings Democrat in the State House, White House and U.S. Senate. Few Republicans saw it coming. The influx of Democrat votes throughout President Barack Obama’s home state gave the sitting president a second term while ensuring Democrats a supermajority in both chambers in Springfield and strengthening the party’s hold in the U.S. Senate. Illinois...
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Sullivan and Koehler weigh in on state spending, the business climate, taxes, and concealed carry. At the state level this election, all eyes will turn to the 46th District State Senate seat currently held by incumbent Democrat David Koehler. Republican Pat Sullivan, Peoria businessman and restaurant owner, is challenging Koehler who began his tenure in Springfield...
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As the weather turns cooler, state and federal races are heating up across Central Illinois. Following four years of Democratic leadership in Washington, D.C., Republicans at the federal and state level are looking for a win. In the Illinois General Assembly, the GOP needs just six more seats to oust Democrat Mike Madigan from the Speaker’s...
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Peoria County area Republicans aren’t shy about praising GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney’s choice for Vice President, but Democrats see a different advantage with Ryan on the ticket. In the latest debate between Peoria area Republicans and Democrats, members of both parties in Central Illinois are sparring over whether Congressman Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) can hurt...
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Some Peoria County residents believe the U.S. Department of Labor’s failed proposal is a prime example of over-regulation. In the midst of a slumping economy and a state unemployment rate of 8.2 percent, one wouldn’t imagine agriculture to be on the short list of hot button political issues. But since the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) proposed a regulation that...
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While most religious groups chide the Obama Administration’s new birth control mandate, some Peoria residents are calling it a blessing in disguise. Much to the chagrin of several faith-based groups, the White House Health and Human Services Department (HHS), in an effort to improve healthcare for women, introduced a mandate requiring employers to provide employee health insurance that includes...
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