State lawmakers weigh TikTok’s value

Capitol News Illinois When shortform video platform TikTok shut down service earlier this month, the move surprised some Illinois politicians who use the app to educate, reach constituents and follow trends. Others had abandoned the app months before it was shut down for less than 24 hours. TikTok, a social media app owned by China-based…

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McClain lawyer calls star witnesses liars as trial nears conclusion

Capitol News Illinois CHICAGO – Jurors hearing former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan’s trial are finally scheduled to begin deliberations Wednesday afternoon more than three months after testimony in the case began. But one day before the government began its final rebuttal, a lawyer for Madigan’s co-defendant, longtime Statehouse lobbyist Mike McClain, urged the jury…

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‘Blatantly unlawful’ federal spending freeze sends state scrambling

Capitol News Illinois SPRINGFIELD — State agencies, nonprofit organizations and a host of other entities that rely on federal funding were thrown into chaos Tuesday following the release of a White House memo that froze – at least temporarily – the distribution of all federal grants, loans and other financial assistance programs. Late Tuesday, however,…

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House Republicans ask state Supreme Court to toss out legislative map

Capitol News Illinois SPRINGFIELD — Democrats continue to hold a supermajority in the Illinois House thanks to illegally gerrymandered House districts, House Republicans allege in a new lawsuit filed with the Illinois Supreme Court Tuesday. The lawsuit alleges the current House map fails to meet state constitutional requirements that districts be compact and allow elections…

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Dave Joens grew up reading about Illinois history. Now, he retires after 20 years preserving it as state archivist

Capitol News Illinois SPRINGFIELD – For two decades, Dave Joens has led the Illinois State Archives, the government agency tasked with preserving official government documents with historic value. The job of caring for historic records has been a natural fit for Joens, he said, who has been interested in history since reading Abraham Lincoln biographies…

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