Free Republic

The story began March 22, when a group called Behind Enemy Lines organized a protest near Chicago’s City Hall. The group says its purpose is to “stop the U.S.-Israel War Machine” and keep “Genocide Joe” Biden out of Chicago. “People are like, we want to confront some Zionists . . . we want to burn an Israeli flag, we want to take this protest to the next level.” As for the DNC, the group says it aims to “make bruises from Chicago police batons the 2024 back-to-school Fall fashion.” Democrats can’t be eager to have Joe Biden’s moment turn into...

DeMar DeRozan is a six-time NBC all-star, a devoted family man, and a quiet, unassuming NBA superstar. When he heard in early January that Oron Beilin, one of the victims of the Hamas massacre of Jews at the Nova Music Festival on Oct. 7, was a huge Chicago Bulls fan, he autographed a special jersey for Beilin’s family with Oron’s name and the infinity symbol underneath.It was a simple, graceful act done without fanfare or press coverage. The gesture caught the attention of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, which decided to honor DeRozan for his act of kindness. The Simon Wiesenthal...

Two men arrested for allegedly trying to lure children into a van were let go after a Chicago area judge released them under the impression that the recently posted no-bail SAFE-T Act prevented the men from being held. The two men detained by police in Cicero were also charged with violating parole and probation, according to CWB Chicago. The two suspects, Kenchi Edwards, 60, and Kraig McCauley, 55, allegedly tried to lure several 14-year-old children into their van with promises of “games” and the promise of meeting a “famous athlete.” The children did not get in the van, and the...

The Quaker Oats Company announced Wednesday it is permanently closing its factory in Danville, Illinois, with upwards of 500 employees to be impacted. The News-Gazette reports Mayor Rickey Williams Jr. confirmed the news to the wider community, with city officials saying: Today, we learned that after 65 years of production in Danville, Pepsico will close Quaker Oats effective June 8, 2024. The business has already ceased production but will continue to pay their employees through that time. While this shocks and saddens us, we will unite as a community to help those who have lost their employment. Williams said he...

The Village of Dolton, Illinois' monthly town hall meeting has made national headlines yet again for fiery confrontations with scandal-ridden mayor Tiffany Henyard. Henyard has been accused of misdeeds ranging from weaponizing police in retaliatory business raids to spending taxpayer money on luxuries like traveling to Las Vegas. Last month, Henyard reportedly vetoed the board’s resolution to probe her spending over purported misuse of funds. While the FBI has allegedly already begun to investigate Henyard for purportedly misusing her local police force, the board’s resolution had called for the FBI to do further investigation into her spending of the town’s...

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — The Illinois Senate's minority leader proposed legislation Tuesday to overhaul Gov. J.B. Pritzker's Prisoner Review Board after it released a convicted domestic abuser who then attacked a pregnant Chicago woman with a knife and fatally stabbed her 11-year-old son. Republican Leader John Curran criticized Pritzker and said he plans legislation to require that board appointees have 20 years of criminal justice experience as a prosecutor, defense attorney, probation officer or judge, and that each member undergo annual training on domestic violence and sexual assault and the warning signs that precede repeat attacks. Other proposed measures would...

A resounding message, “Go Red… No More Blue, No Matter Who!” has become the battle cry of frustrated Chicagoans facing neglect from long-standing Democratic leadership.

Top staffers for Democrat John Fetterman are leaving his office for more progressive jobs as the Pennsylvania senator moves more to the center on key issues. The everyman Democrat, who loves Carhartt hoodies and dawning a disheveled goatee, has staunchly supported Israel's war on Hamas and denounced calls for a ceasefire. He's also expressed support for increased U.S. border security, another position that puts him at odds with his party. The freshman Democrat was elected after securing support from some of the most liberal members of Congress in 2022. The towering 6 foot 8 inch senator, previously supported Democrat Socialist...

After almost two weeks of uncertainty, Burke edged out Clayton Harris III for the nomination, with mail ballots tallied Friday sealing the most hotly contested race of the primary a full 10 days after the polls closed. The Associated Press called the race over — and the two candidates agreed.

It’s another horrific, tragic story, the likes of which we’ve been seeing all too often these days. A convict serving a 16-year sentence for a home invasion and aggravated assault was released early in Illinois in early March, and the very next day, he invaded the Chicago apartment of Laterria Smith and stabbed her and her 11-year-old son, killing the boy.The brave youngster was trying to save his mother from the attack, and was stabbed in the chest.The killer, Crosetti Brand, 37, who was previously in a relationship with Smith, was let loose on March 10. He was cut free...

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – Illinois lawmakers are considering a bill that would create a state-based guaranteed income program. State Sen. Ram Villivalam (D-Chicago) sponsors Senate Bill 3462, which calls on Illinois to adopt such a program after the 2027 calendar year. Through this legislation, residents who meet certain qualifications would be eligible for monthly $1,000 cash payments, regardless of immigration status. It’s unclear how long the payments would last. According to the bill’s language, those potentially eligible for $1,000 cash payments include people who: Provide care for a child or other specified dependent Recently gave birth or adopted a child Enroll...

A Chicago veterinarian has been arrested for possessing and exchanging child pornography just days before he was due to fly to California to collect a baby he has purchased via surrogate. Adam Stafford King, 39, allegedly posted online about his plans to sexually abuse the infant boy once he was in his custody. King, a veterinarian who specializes in ophthalmology, was arrested on March 22 for trading child pornography under the username @pervchiguy in a chat with an unidentified man in New York. King posted in the chat that he liked young children “in the single digits” and preferred boys....

A 22-year-old man has been arrested in connection with a stabbing spree Wednesday afternoon in Rockford, Illinois, that left four people dead, including a U.S. postal worker and a teenage girl, and seven other victims injured, police said. The suspect, Christian Soto, was arrested in the frenzied attack, according to the Rockford Police Department. Soto faces four counts of murder and seven counts of attempted murder, as well as two counts of home invasion with a dangerous weapon, authorities said. A motive for the attack remains under investigation, police said. The names of the slain victims were not immediately released,...

The Daily Mail reports that eight states are planning to BAN the sale of gas-powered cars entirely – after Biden unveiled ambitious plans to phase them out by 2032. California was the first state to adopt the plan to ban sales of gas cars by 2035. Electric vehicles made up 7.6 percent of new car sales in the US last year. It seems clear that the government will ban gas stations at some point, and they don’t seem to care that you can’t afford an EV. The rule, first adopted by California, means that automakers and dealerships would be banned...

On Monday’s edition of NBC’s “MTP Now,” Rep. Mike Quigley (D-IL) said that the only way to have success against Hamas is through diplomacy and “Hamas is much more than a military organization, it’s a movement. And the manner in which Israel has conducted this war is a recruiting tool for Hamas. So, they’re really not accomplishing what they want to do if the destruction occurs at the level it has so far. They need to be much more surgical and tactical.” Quigley stated, “[A]ny success there is going to be done diplomatically. So, those efforts to get a ceasefire...

– Illinois House Republicans are both condemning and praising a recent federal judge ruling about illegal immigrants being able to carry firearms for protection. Earlier this month, Northern District of Illinois federal Judge Sharon Johnson Coleman ruled in favor of Heriberto Carbajal-Flores, a foreign national in the u.S. illegally who was charged with unlawful possession of a firearm. She said the law violates the Second Amendment as applied in this one case. “The Court finds that Carbajal-Flores’ criminal record, containing no improper use of a weapon, as well as the non-violent circumstances of his arrest do not support a finding...

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — A state parole board member resigned Monday after recommending the release of a man who a day later attacked a pregnant Chicago woman with a knife and fatally stabbed her 11-year-old son while he tried to protect her, according to authorities. The Illinois Prisoner Review Board's handling of the case prompted Gov. J.B. Pritzker to order that procedures for dealing with situations involving domestic violence be revamped. Pritzker announced that LeAnn Miller, 63, of Junction submitted her resignation. Miller had prepared a report recommending Crosetti Brand's release from prison. The 37-year-old felon had repeatedly violated orders...

CHICAGO (CBS) -- The gap in the race for Cook County State's Attorney has narrowed even more. The Chicago Board of Elections added more than 10,000 votes to its total count on Saturday after its director of public information said he mistakenly left out some vote-by-mail ballots. The unofficial count now stands at 368,990 ballots cast after the 10,659 additional votes were added, bringing the citywide turnout to 24.44%. There are 1,509,554 active registered voters. "In adding up the total number of Vote By Mail ballots the Board had received back so far, I mistakenly left out additional ballots that...

Business Strong Illinois economy has been very good for business Posted March 24, 2024 5:02 am By Frank Manzo IV Don’t tell the naysayers, but Illinois’ economy continues to remain strong. We are America’s sixth-largest state and fifth-largest economy, now generating $1.1 trillion annually — more than 13 other states combined. Indeed, according to data from the Bureau of Economic Analysis, Illinois’ economy has expanded by $217 billion over the past five years. That’s more than all the goods and services produced every year in North Dakota, South Dakota, and Alaska combined. Put simply, our businesses, workers, residents, and visitors...

Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) gave us another amusing demonstration of his ability to humiliate Joe Biden’s unqualified judicial nominees during Wednesday's confirmation hearing. United States District Judge Nancy Maldonado of the Northern District of Illinois, who has been nominated by Joe Biden for a spot on the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, had previously signed a brief supporting a ban on "assault weapons" in Illinois state courts in the 2010s, yet, when he asked her to define "assault weapons,” she couldn’t. “You said, ‘assault weapons may be banned because they’re extraordinarily dangerous and are not appropriate...