Illinois governor announces plan to legalize marijuana
Sara Burnett, Associated Press
May 5, 2019
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker said Saturday he's reached an agreement with key lawmakers on a plan to legalize recreational marijuana in the state starting next year. The legislation would allow adults 21 and older to legally buy cannabis for recreational use from licensed dispensaries. Illinois residents...
Proposed graduated tax in Illinois inches forward
John O'Connor, Associated Press
May 4, 2019
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — The Illinois Senate has begun the process for ending the state's 50-year-old flat-rate income tax structure. But Senate approval of a constitutional amendment and proposed rates for a graduated income tax does not guarantee a change. House Democrats are trying to gather...
Tobacco 21 bill rises from the ashes
Ella Lee, Focus Editor
April 15, 2019
Governor J.B. Pritzker signed the Tobacco 21 bill Sunday, April 7, which raised the legal age to purchase tobacco products from 18 to 21 years old. As Tobacco 21’s most affected age group, some DePaul students say they have mixed feelings about the new law. “I don’t agree with smoking because of t...
Pritzker signs bill banning tobacco sales to Illinois minors
April 8, 2019
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker has signed a bill banning the sale of tobacco products to minors. Pritzker on Sunday signed legislation raising the legal age for purchasing tobacco products from 18 to 21. With Pritzker's action, beginning on July 1, Illinois will join California, New Jersey, Massachusetts,...
How the minimum wage increase will affect DePaul student employees
Doug Klain, Opinions Editor
April 8, 2019
When DePaul University junior Breya Jones heard that Illinois was raising the minimum wage to $15 per hour, she felt like it was a validation that her work is valued by the community. Like many studying at DePaul, she’s a student employee at the university. “It makes me feel like even though I’m a...
Building a new Illinois: Pritzker’s plan
Samuel Rahman, Contributing Writer
January 28, 2019
From expanding Illinois’s Medicare system to instituting a progressive graduated income tax, newly inaugurated Gov. J.B. Pritzker has proposed a slew of daring policy plans to overhaul Illinois’ economy. With a new Democratic governor and a reaffirmed Democratic state Senate and House of Representa...
Gov. Pritzker plans ahead for Illinois and college students
Luc Fougere, Contributing Writer
January 22, 2019
Newly sworn-in Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker sees the state as one of possibility and promise, and outlined how he plans to fix a variety of issues during his inauguration speech last Monday. “No. Everything is not broken,” he said in his speech. Pritzker, who beat out the former Republican Gov. ...
Rauner loses gubernatorial race after a single rocky term
Carina Smith, News Editor
November 12, 2018
After an expensive and widespread campaign season, incumbent Gov. Bruce Rauner announced he was conceding to Democratic opponent J.B. Pritzker, effectively ending his time in office. At his watch party held at the Drake Hotel on Nov. 6, Rauner announced he was dropping out of the Illinois gubernatorial...
Pritzker wins battle of the bank accounts in Illinois
Rosbelis Quinonez and Ryan Witry, Contributing Writer
November 12, 2018
Democrat J.B. Pritzker rode a green wave of record-breaking spending as he seized the Illinois governor’s office from Republican incumbent Gov. Bruce Rauner in a midterm election that generated unusually high turnout. Pritzker, the billionaire heir to the Hyatt Hotel fortune, won easily after pour...
Illinois’ price for power
Adam Webb, Contributing Writer
November 12, 2018
When I was growing up in New Lenox, Illinois, I lived down the street from our mayor. In the scope of the national political machine, being the mayor of the village of New Lenox could be considered insignificant. But to a four-year-old boy, it was like having the president as a neighbor. I wanted noth...
Illinois races to watch during the 2018 midterms
November 5, 2018
Illinois 5th District Photo Courtesy of Twitter (D) Mike Quigley (incumbent) v. (R) Tom Hanson Illinois’ Fifth Congressional District, home to DePaul’s Lincoln Park campus, won’t have much of a contest to observe this Tuesday. Incumbent Congressman Mike Quigley is a heavy favorite to keep his seat ...
Deep pockets pay off
Jonathan Ballew, News Editor
March 21, 2018
How much does it cost to win the Democratic nomination in Illinois these days? At least $70 million, according to the newly elected Democratic candidate, J.B. Pritzker. After leading in the polls for the entire race, Pritzker successfully fended off a surging Chris Kennedy, and a grassroots neo-progressive c...
