Pritzker says Democrats helped with Trump on ballot
The Supreme Court on Monday restored Donald Trump to 2024 presidential primary ballots, rejecting Illinois’ and other state attempts to hold the Republican former president accountable for the 2021 riot at the U.S. Capitol.
The justices ruled a day before the Super Tuesday primaries that states, without action from Congress first, cannot invoke a post-Civil War constitutional provision to keep presidential candidates from appearing on ballots.
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker commented Monday that the court made its decision, and “it will help Democrats that he’s on the ballot.”
“My view is that we will beat him at the ballot box,” Pritzker said at an unrelated event Monday. “There is no reason why politically someone should be thrown off the ballot. Having said that, there may be a constitutional reason and I wouldn’t opine about that. We’re going to win here in Illinois and beat Donald Trump.”
Firefighters respond to field fire
Central Illinois firefighters from several departments battled a field fire Saturday.
Just after 3 p.m., a 911 call alerted authorities that a field fire was spreading quickly toward two homes near Lexington. The start time of the blaze is unknown, but it is believed that the fire had been burning for some time because local residents assumed it was a controlled burn.
Fire crews from Lexington, Towanda, Gridley, Chenoa and Fairbury used water backpacks, rakes and swatters to battle the fire.
Severe weather preparedness
The Illinois Emergency Management Agency and Office of Homeland Security recognizes March as Severe Weather Preparedness Month. To help families prepare for severe weather, officials are sharing interagency resources and featuring its emergency preparedness kits.
In 2023, Illinois received two significant Presidential Disaster Declarations for severe weather and flooding that totaled over $462 million in damages. A statewide tornado drill will take place at 11 a.m. Wednesday.
