Welcome, 96th Illinois General Assembly

Blagojevich gets cold shoulders from lawmakers during seating ceremony
By Kevin McDermott and Kari Andren
POST-DISPATCH SPRINGFIELD BUREAU 01/15/2009

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – Impeached Gov. Rod Blagojevich on Wednesday was greeted with deafening silence by a packed Illinois Senate chamber as he formally swore in the 59 state senators who will decide later this month whether to remove him [...]

RIP Wyvetter Younge

The late Rep. Wyvetter Younge

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. - Colleagues of the late state Rep. Wyvetter Younge remembered her as someone who worked tirelessly for her district and to make life better for all Illinois residents.
Younge, 78, a Democrat from East St. Louis, died Dec. 26 after a brief illness.  She was first elected to the House in 1974.
”She was [...]

Blagojevich Impeached

For the first time in Illinois state history, it has impeached a governor. Gov. Rod Blagojevich now faces a trial in the state Senate.

Budget Survival Guide

As important as stamina: tricks to help folks cope

By Kari Andren, Special to the Morning Call
Coffee, NERF balls, diet sodas and plenty of blankets and pillows — that’s how state lawmakers and their staff survive the 24/7 days of budget negotiations.
As legislative leaders and the governor’s staff huddle in private for endless hours in [...]

Massage therapists–’elated’

House OKs bill mandating licensing of massage therapists
By Kari Andren |Special to The Morning Call
June 25, 2008

| Laird MacCubbin could barely contain his excitement.
After years of waiting, his occupation — massage therapist — finally appears on track to join the the ranks of the more than 200 professions that the state licenses.
MacCubbin, who owns [...]

On to Appropriations…

Bill to license massage therapists advances
By Kari Andren
Inquirer Staff Writer
HARRISBURG – A state House panel unanimously approved legislation yesterday that for the first time would require Pennsylvania massage therapists to be licensed.
The bill, sponsored by Rep. Keith McCall (D., Carbon), calls for licensing massage therapists who have attended 600 hours of school in a program [...]