Sandack pushes for state repealer

The Subcommittee on State Government has advanced legislation creating an Office of the Repealer, charged with weeding out and eliminating redundant and outdated laws and regulations. Senate Bill 3681, sponsored by state Sens. Ron Sandack and Kirk Dillard, was introduced in response to the many …

Sandack: Health care contract issues remain

Senate lawmakers worked to move bills through the legislative process before this week’s deadline, advancing hundreds of measures addressing issues that state Sen. Ron Sandack (R-23rd District) said range from criminal justice and procurement matters to state financial reporting and veterans’ assistance.

Also this week, …

Final House primary totals delayed until April

The Democratic nominee for state representative in the 7th District will not be named until at least April 3, according to county officials. Fifteen votes currently separate Rory Hoskins from Emanuel “Chris” Welch in the too-close-to-call Democratic primary. There was no candidate in the Republican …

Welch, Hoskins wait for final vote count in 7th District House primary

The top two vote recipients in the Democratic primary for 7th District state representative are taking a wait-and-see approach before declaring victory or admitting defeat. Although Emanuel “Chris” Welch is considered the winner in the preliminary tally of votes for the Democratic party’s candidate in …

Final House primary totals delayed until April

The Democratic nominee for state representative in the 7th District will not be named until at least April 3, according to county officials. Fifteen votes currently separate Rory Hoskins from Emanuel “Chris” Welch in the too-close-to-call Democratic primary. There was no candidate in the Republican …

Welch leads by 15 votes

Emanuel “Chris” Welch is leading Rory Hoskins in 7th District state rep. race, according to unofficial vote totals. With all 87 precincts reporting, Welch has 39 percent; Hoskins has 38.87 percent; Beyonca Johnson has 13.68 percent and Princess C. Dempsey has 8.45 percent. But both …

Welch votes to hire boss’s son-in-law

Emanuel “Chris” Welch helped to hire his boss’s son-in-law as principal of Proviso East High School. Tony Valente, hired by Proviso High School District 209 in May 2011, is the son-in-law of Manny Sanchez, a founding partner of the law firm Sanchez, Hoffman Daniels, Forest …

Newspaper wins appeal for Welch 2002 police report

Hillside Police Department must turn over a 2002 police report describing the arrest of Emanuel “Chris” Welch for domestic battery, the Illinois attorney general ordered Friday. Forest Leaves has been seeking the report since January, but Hillside police refused a Freedom of Information Act request, …

Fire damages state senator’s office

The building that state Sen. Ron Sandack (R-21st District) recently moved his district office into suffered fire damage this week.

The building is destroyed and investigations are ongoing to determine the cause of the Monday fire. Senator Sandack said his unit suffered mostly smoke and …

Welch’s priorities: jobs, education, crime

Emanuel “Chris” Welch has set his sights on 7th District state representative seat after several years in local politics. Welch, 41, of Hillside was elected as a member of Proviso School District 209 board in 2001. He has held the position as board president since …

Dempsey targets wasteful spending

Princess Dempsey said wasteful spending and mismanagement have been going on far too long in the 7th District and she believes she’s the right person to clean it up. Her priorities, if elected, would be tax relief, education and bringing businesses back to the district. …

Social issues important to Hoskins

With his family serving as motivation, Rory Hoskins of Forest Park said he is running for state representative to make a difference. He has been a commissioner on the Forest Park Village Board since 2007, and is studying to become a lawyer. He is president …

Welch campaign invoking Obama name

A U.S. president usually doesn’t endorse a state rep candidate in a primary election. But that doesn’t prevent some candidates from trying to ride on the president’s coattails.

Obama-Welch campaign signs are promoting Barack Obama running for president and Emanuel “Chris” Welch running for state …

Proviso politician secures jobs, raises for friends, family

With statements like “Make it happen. I need her to be hired,” Emanuel “Chris” Welch has kept at least 19 close friends and relatives in good-paying jobs at Proviso High School District 209 where he is school board president. Most noteworthy is Welch’s brother, Billy …

Welch’s libel settlement delayed

While Emanuel “Chris” Welch is negotiating a settlement for defaming a well-known Chicago lawfirm, a court hearing revealed a law clerk was not involved in the libelous blog post. Welch, an attorney, is Proviso High School District 209 board president and is running for state …