Almost every weekday since the beginning of February, the Richard Irvin campaign has sent at least one press release to reporters about a host of issues, from crime to taxes to corruption to former House Speaker Michael Madigan to, well, you name it. Last week, however, the Irvin campaign was conspicuously silent for 24 hours.

Scott County Iowa Board of Supervisors May 10 Committee of the Whole Meeting Video Screenshot

In the Iowa Primary, there are five Democratic candidates for Scott County Board of Supervisors vying for three positions on the November 8 General Election ballot: Karl Drapeaux, Brinson Kinzer (incumbent), Joseph C. Miller, Jazmin Newton, and Dawson Shea VanWinkle. There are four Republican candidates for Scott County Board of Supervisor vying for three spots on the General Election ballot: Jean Dickson, Jennifer McAndrew Lane, John Maxwell (incumbent), and Ross Paustian. All candidates were provided the following questionnaire.

I’ve mentioned before that House Speaker Chris Welch has said since the day he was elected to his chamber’s top job last year that he is fully committed to protecting all of his incumbents, whether in the primary or in the general election. That wasn’t always the case with his predecessor, House Speaker Michael Madigan.

The Illinois Senate adjourned its session April 9 just after 3 o’clock in the morning. The House adjourned about three hours later, as the sun was coming up. This wasn’t the first time that the chambers worked into the wee smalls to finish their work, including a budget, and it probably won’t be the last, but it’s getting to be a bit much. Senate President Don Harmon told me afterward that, in the future, he would like to “avoid” adjourning sessions that late.

James Hickman's essay "The Media Has Been the Number-One Cause of War Since 1989" cannot be overstated enough. One is reminded of the scene in what Reader movie reviewer Mike Schulz calls “the best movie of all time”: Citizen Kane. The classic film is all about William Randolph Hearst and depicts him effectively starting the War in Cuba that Hickman refers to. In the film, Hearst's retort to the field reporter who told him there was no conflict there is legendary: "You provide the prose poems; I'll provide the war."

COVID-19 Testing Site in Downtown Davenport - February 1, 2022

History will eventually reveal all the malfeasance that allowed COVID-19 to be promulgated as a global lethal pandemic when the narratives in support of this over-exaggeration can no longer overcome the evidence against it.

In 1895, a 32-year old entrepreneur in New York City bought a failing newspaper and hatched a bold plan to turn it around. The newspaper industry was cutthroat, especially in New York. There were at least 16 other daily newspapers in circulation, and there was fierce competition for readers’ attention. But the young entrepreneur had an idea: thrill readers with tales of death, destruction, and brutality in the Cuban War for Independence against Spain.

Last year’s state budget talks were dragged into the bitter fight between the Senate and the House and the governor’s office over a massive bill to regulate carbon-based power plants. As a result, the House hurriedly and angrily jammed an appropriations bill over to the Senate before it could be fully checked for accuracy. Both chambers had to return during the summer to fix the mistakes.

As you probably already know, the Democratic Governors Association recently launched a TV ad blasting Republican gubernatorial candidate Richard Irvin for claiming to be a crimefighter while having defended dangerous criminals as a defense attorney.

After the Illinois House and Senate voted to pass legislation to partially pay down the state’s unemployment insurance trust-fund debt, top Democratic leaders gathered for a Statehouse press conference to boast about their accomplishment.

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