The Latest Breaking News from Springfield

CHICAGO — By Fourth of July, Illinois drivers likely will be greeted at the gas pump by 4-by-8-inch signs informing them that as they fill their tanks, they’re actually saving money, courtesy of their elected leaders in Springfield.

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Republican state lawmakers, outnumbered and looking to boost their relevance, had one goal for the election-year legislative session — to paint majority Democrats as soft-on-crime and anti-police.

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Illinois lawmakers early Saturday approved a $46.5 billion budget that includes $1.8 billion in largely temporary election-year tax relief and a $1 billion deposit into the state’s rainy day fund.

In their 16-minute news conference, Pritzker and the Democratic leaders never mentioned the amount of overall spending called for in the budget plan, which had not yet been filed. Late Thursday, the governor’s office said they expected it to fall between $46 billion and $47 billion.

The tax relief in the plan announced by Illinois House Majority Leader Greg Harris falls squarely in the middle of the $1 billion in cuts Gov. J.B. Pritzker highlighted in his February budget proposal and the $1.8 billion that state Senate Democrats pitched last week.

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Maria Pike found her calling after her son Ricky was shot and killed in Chicago’s Logan Square neighborhood in August 2012.

Despite pleas from residents concerned about their health, a bill to protect overburdened communities from more pollution doesn’t have the votes in Springfield to pass during an election year.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Three Springfield men charged with breaching the Capitol together during the Jan. 6 insurrection were sentenced in federal court Thursday to probation, a fine and community service.

On its website, the Grove Salsa Co., of Springfield, Missouri, tells its story: “Our journey began when we were unsuccessful at finding a salsa on the market that satisfied our palates, while ensuring fresh, wholesome ingredients.” And it’s true, this salsa tastes remarkably fresh for a jarred kind you buy…

The swagger that Illinois’ Democrats have displayed since taking full control of Springfield three years ago had already been tamped down by the political realities of confronting crime and COVID when corruption reared up as one more daunting campaign issue heading into this year’s elections.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — Twenty-five years ago this fall, Jackie Stiles left Claflin, Kansas, (pop: 700-ish) for what was then-Southwest Missouri State — the school she chose over Connecticut and Tennessee, among other elite programs around the nation.