Jim Dey

4 days ago | news-gazette.com | Jim Dey

To subscribe, click hereWow, it’s getting crowded in the Democratic Party’s competition to succeed retiring U.S. Sen. Richard Durbin. But that’s no surprise. The last time a U.S. Senate seat opened up in Illinois was in 2008, when then-U.S. Sen. Barack Obama was elected president. So far, there are three announced candidates: Lt. Gov. Julianna Stratton, 59, and U.S. Reps. Robin Kelly, 69, and Raja Krishnamoorthi, 51. Waiting in the wings is 38-year-old U.S. Rep.

6 days ago | news-gazette.com | Jim Dey

They say it’s not nice to speak ill of the dead. Sometimes, however, embracing reality requires it. Former Republican Gov. George Ryan died Friday at age 91. Since then, news accounts have been filled with homages to his legislative skills, empathy, “ideological metamorphosis” from conservative to liberal and ability to forge deals with prominent Democrats, including House Speaker Michael Madigan.

1 week ago | news-gazette.com | Jim Dey

Illinois enjoyed strong revenue gains in April, but it was still not enough to qualify for what revenue officials call the exploding “April surprise” increase they wanted. The overall increase by $593 million in April 2025 compared to April 2024 was driven by increases in the “Big Three” categories — personal income taxes, corporate income taxes and sale taxes. All three were up in April as compared to 12 months ago.

1 week ago | news-gazette.com | Jim Dey

Competition among ambitious politicos for power can get ugly fast. Adding disagreement over controversial public policy to the mix is the equivalent of pouring gasoline on a fire. Voters will have to see what comes of it. But Democratic state Comptroller Susana Mendoza kicked off a major conflagration last week when she cited the state’s SAFE-T Act social-justice legislation as a public-safety threat.

1 week ago | news-gazette.com | Jim Dey

Former University of Illinois Chancellor Nancy Cantor is involved in another campus controversy. This time it’s with New York Gov. Kathy Hochul. As the new president of Hunter College in New York City, Cantor decided the campus needed two tenure-track faculty members to teach Palestinian studies.