Advertise on podcast: Illinois in Focus

(The Center Square) – Members of the Illinois Freedom Caucus are sounding the alarm over potential election insecurity issues caused by a federally indicted Central Illinois county clerk. In Champaign County, Illinois, an area with about 210,000 residents and numerous different races listed on ballots around the jurisdiction, County Clerk Aaron Ammons is facing calls from local and statewide Republicans to step away from overseeing the 2026 midterm election. What the clerk’s office referred to as a “technical issue” late last week led to a suspension in early voting later Thursday until Monday morning. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

With early voting in Illinois underway in most jurisdictions, Lt. Gov. Julianna Stratton – the Democrat hopeful to replace Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., in Congress – sat down with The Center Square to discuss politics, policies and goals for the seat if she wins the race. Stratton, a former state representative, has served as Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s second in command since taking office in 2019. Her opponent is Don Tracy, former chair of the state Republican Party and the Illinois Gaming Board under former Gov. Bruce Rauner. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

(The Center Square) – Early voting begins in Illinois on Thursday morning, but the state’s 40-day early voting period is accompanied by additional taxpayer costs. The Center Square asked Rock Island County Clerk Karen Kinney if early voting resulted in additional staffing costs and taxpayer impact. “Oh yes, it does, because we have to bring in election judges. There are additional employees throughout the election season,” Kinney said. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

(The Center Square) – New legislation has been filed to repeal an Illinois tax on sports wagering and fantasy contests. State Rep. Travis Weaver, R-Peoria, filed House Bill 5814 on Monday to repeal the tax that Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed into law last June. Weaver said the tax may be challenged in court. “Anytime a tax is tried for the first time ever, you’ve got to wonder why the other 49 states aren't doing it. It probably has to do with the fact that they think that it's illegal,” Weaver told The Center Square. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

(The Center Square) – A day after launching a new political action committee to support Democratic Party candidates around the country, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker joined Texas Democrats at an event in Dallas on Wednesday. Pritzker spoke just hours before Republicans opened a two-night convention in Dallas and said the GOP is clinically deranged and out of touch. “And of course, we have Donald Trump himself, a president suffering from dementia,” Pritzker said. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

(The Center Square) – A new tax set to be imposed will soon make hotel rooms in Springfield the second-most taxed in the state, behind the city of Chicago. Debate over the new tax saw economic development pit against a burden the tax could place on the local hotel industry. A new 3% hotel tax passed by the Sangamon County Board on Tuesday is planned to fund an expansion of the publicly owned Bank of Springfield Center, which the county hopes to break ground on in the fall of 2027.  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

(The Center Square) – Following a U.S. Supreme Court decision Monday, Illinois elected officials are urging residents to send any mail-in ballots to be cast in the midterms ahead of election day. The highest court temporarily allowed the Trump administration to maintain an executive order placing restrictions on mail-in voting across the country, requiring the U.S. Postal Service to cross reference Homeland Security lists of legal citizen eligible voters. Ed Yohnka, spokesman for Illinois ACLU, said the ruling was disappointing but would allow the group's case to be ruled on to potentially block the executive order’s rule based on its merits. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

(The Center Square) – A slate of Democrats running in statewide races appeared at the Illinois State Fair on Wednesday during a campaign event, discussing what they could do to push back against President Donald Trump’s administration during a campaign event. Retiring U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., and Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., appeared alongside the slate of statewide officials and candidates. Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul let other politicians, such as Gov. J.B. Pritzker and his running mate, Christian Mitchell, did most of the talking about the state suing the federal government repeatedly over a variety of different policies alongside other Dem AGs. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

(The Center Square) – The Illinois State Fair is expected to generate about $100 million of economic impact after taxpayers invested nearly $190 million for infrastructure and programming. The fair is set to run from Thursday morning until Sunday, August 23 at the state fairgrounds in Springfield. Gov. J.B. Pritzker said both the Illinois State Fair and the Du Quoin State Fair are important to the economy. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

(The Center Square) – An Illinois House of Representatives committee decided it will move forward with an investigation into a number of complaints against a central Illinois lawmaker, but only after the special committee receives input from the U.S. Attorney's Office that brought charges against her. The first hearing of the Special Investigating Committee held at the State Capitol Thursday was largely procedural. Chaired by Assistant Majority Leader Curtis Tarver II, D-Chicago, committee members heard a complaint filed by 11 House Republicans regarding the federal indictment brought against Rep. Carol Ammons for an alleged kickback scheme involving state grant money. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

(The Center Square) – State Rep. Abdelnasser Rashid, D-Bridgeview, issued a statement calling for legislation he introduced to bring further ethics reform to Springfield following the unanimous vote by the Legislative Ethics Commission to release an investigation report into former Rep. Harry Benton, who was accused of sexual harassment. Rashid’s House Bill 3562 would bring the Legislative Inspector General’s authority in releasing publicly details of an investigation without the approval of lawmakers or a significant delay. House Minority Leader Tony McCombie and House GOP members have continued to call for Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch to consider similar ethics reform proposals introduced by Republican members, while questioning if Welch followed ethics rules already in place. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

(The Center Square) – After reporting about a now-resigned state representative and allegations that Illinois House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch may have mishandled allegations against the lawmaker, new questions are being raised about the speaker’s own behavior, particularly toward women on staff. The Chicago Tribune reported details last week from an unnamed former staffer of former Rep. Harry Benton, D-Plainfield, who accused the lawmaker of sexual harassment in 2023. Questions arose as to why Welch didn’t take immediate action on the complaint made to his office until a second woman, this time a lobbyist, reached out with her own complaint about Benton earlier this year. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

(The Center Square) — Illinois State Rep. Carrol Ammons, federally indicted on multiple charges of wire fraud, pleaded not guilty in her first court appearance Thursday morning. With the courtroom gallery at its maximum capacity of 49 people, roughly 30 people, consisting of members of the public — along with friends, family and supporters of the representative — were sent to watch the hearing in an overflow room in the Urbana federal court building. Ammons, charged with eight counts of wire fraud and one count of witness tampering, entered a not guilty plea beside her two lawyers, Mutaquee Akbar – who is from Florida – and Angela Reany – an attorney from the Carbondale area. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

(The Center Square) – An Illinois state representative faces multiple counts of wire fraud and providing a false statement, according to a federal indictment released Tuesday night. State Rep. Carol Ammons, D-Urbana, was charged with eight counts of wire fraud surrounding an alleged kickback scheme involving campaign contributions. She was also charged with conspiracy to obstruct justice. Her husband, Aaron Ammons, the Champaign County clerk of courts, also faces charges of conspiracy to obstruct justice and obstruction of evidence. Neither Carol nor Aaron Ammons responded to The Center Square's request for comment. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

(The Center Square) – The U.S. Supreme Court ruled 6-3 against an executive order by President Donald Trump Tuesday, which sought to ban birthright citizenship nationwide. A number of political heavyweights in Illinois have weighed in on the judgement. The court heard arguments and ultimately struck down the president’s February 2025 order stripping birthright citizenship protections from children born after Feb. 19, 2025, whose parents are either illegally present in or temporary residents of the United States. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.