House Republicans introduced several initiatives this year aimed at increasing election integrity in Illinois. The bills targeted the State Board of Elections to set up and maintain a system to track all mail-in ballots, required voter ID cards or another form of ID to vote, and ensured deceased individuals are removed from voter rolls.

“I would love to be in a situation where the state of Illinois, for voting, is not relying on election judges and their signature match-up expertise to make sure that we have done all we can to reduce voter fraud,” stated State Representative Ryan Spain, ranking Republican on the House Ethics & Elections Committee. “What we should be doing is what most states in our country do. Red states, blue states, swing states and the vast majority of states have a simple fix and it is voter ID. You show an ID when you go to vote.”

Once bustling malls in Illinois and across the nation are going bust as shoppers flock to online retailers and home delivery conglomerates. The numbers are sobering, with an estimated 2,500 malls across the country in 1980. Today, there are less than 700 and that could dwindle to 150 in 10 years. However, the most recent research shows foot traffic and sales at shopping malls has increased in the U.S. from 2019 to 2022. 

GENERAL ASSEMBLY

Preparations for second and final week of fall 2023 veto session. The Illinois House of Representatives will reconvene on Tuesday, November 7 in Springfield. The House Rules Committee met on Wednesday, November 1, to examine bills on the House agenda for assignment to the House floor or to committees. Numerous House committees have posted hearing notices for next week.

As part of the 2019 Rebuild Illinois capital plan, $350 million was appropriated to renovate the Capitol Complex including the Capitol and Stratton Office Buildings as well as the surrounding parking areas. The state hired Andrea Aggertt to lead the effort as the new Architect of the Illinois State Capitol. Since that time she helped develop and is currently executing a long-range plan to oversee repair, rehabilitation, construction and renovation projects on the Capitol Complex. And, she has hit the ground running. 

The Illinois State Police (ISP) is scheduled to conduct three public hearings on permanent rules to continue to move forward on the implementation of the Protect Illinois Communities Act in early November. The Protect Illinois Communities Act created a category of firearms, called “assault weapons” and “assault weapons attachments.” The Democrats picked a list of firearms that they deem unsafe to be “assault weapons.” The Act was signed into law in January 2023 by Governor Pritzker and regulates the possession, sale and transfer of “assault weapons,” “assault weapon” attachments, high-capacity magazines, and switches in Illinois. Citizens who possessed the firearms devices listed in this Act before it took effect are required to submit an endorsement affidavit through their Firearm Owner’s Identification Card account. 

The 2023 holiday shopping season is approaching fast, and there are important dates and deadlines to know to get packages shipped to their destinations on time for those family celebrations. The following deadline dates cover domestic, international, and military shipping destinations for the United States Postal Service (USPS) to allow for the timely delivery of cards, letters, and packages by December 25.

Social media has become a pillar of many people’s daily lives, with 59 percent of the global population (4.65 billion) using at least one platform. In the U.S., the numbers are even more staggering, with 84 percent of Americans using at least one social media network. 

There are a number of pros and cons associated with social media. Advantages include: educational purposes, building your brand, reaching a large audience, staying up to date with local and national events, targeting audiences based on their interests, getting connected to new people, creating your audiences, building relationships, getting new visitors to your website, and free usage. Disadvantages include: it’s addicting and time consuming, decrease in communication skills, fake news stories, sleeplessness, inappropriate content, cyber-attacks, lack of confidence, fear of missing out, no privacy, and getting close to depression.