Thomas Weitzel joined the podcast to discuss: The impact of recent Illinois legislation, especially the Safety Act, on police authority and community safety The rise of anti-police sentiment, media narratives, and officer morale The challenges in recruiting and retaining officers in Illinois as law enforcement leaves for pro-police states Thomas We…

Florian Sohnke joined the podcast to discuss: The origins and mission of the Chicago Contrarian as a conservative media outlet The deep challenges facing Chicago: public finances, failing schools, and public transit The growing but often overlooked conservative constituency in a deeply blue city Florian Sohnke is a freelance writer, editor, and spe…

Shannon Adcock joined the podcast to discuss: How school lockdowns during COVID-19 prompted her political involvement and the founding of Awake Illinois The group’s recent federal civil rights complaints over gender ideology in Illinois public schools Rising attacks on homeschooling and the fight to protect parental rights in education Shannon Adco…

Marsha McClary of Moms for Liberty joined the podcast to discuss: Parental rights and educational choice Men in women’s spaces How gender confusion harms kids Marsha McClary is chair of the Moms for Liberty of Lake County Chapter. Moms for Liberty nationally is the largest parental rights organization in the United States with over 130,000 members …

Illinois State Rep. Jed Davis (R-IL-75) joined the podcast to discuss: The effect of Illinois' $50+ billion budget and how it affects the average Illinois resident Reining in the state budget Dav’s 16 page report detailing how the budget could be reduced to $44 billion, starting with energy policies Davis is a Republican member of the Illinois Hous…

Illinois State Rep. Blaine Wilhour (R-IL-110) joined the Prairie State Wire Podcast to discuss: Gov. JB Pritzker’s performance and the governor’s aspirations to higher office Legislative attempts to hamstring homeschooling and other educational options Illinois' status as a sanctuary state and what Wilhour thinks needs to be done to align with nati…

Former IL State Rep. Jeanne Ives joined the Prairie State Wire Podcast to discuss; Why Illinois is a bad example of how state government should be run What the chief challenges are facing Illinois voters (pensions, taxes, corruption) What people can do to take action in electing better officials Ives served three terms in the Illinois House of Repr…

State Rep. Martin McLaughlin (R-IL-52) joined the Prairie STate Wire Podcast to discuss: Illinois issues & getting spending under control The illegal alien crisis and the growing strain on social services Parental rights and abuse of authority under "COVID" (edited)By Prairie State Wire

Dan Proft joined the Prairie State Wire Podcast to discuss the Cook County State’s Attorney race and the Madigan corruption trial.Proft is the host of “Chicago’s Morning Answer” weekday mornings from 5-9 a.m. on AM 560 Chicago. A former Republican candidate for Illinois Governor, Proft attended Northwestern University and received his J.D. from Loy…

Former Illinois State Rep. Jeanne Ives (R) joined the Prairie State Wire Podcast to discuss the reasons we must be willing to challenge the experts and why America is still the greatest nation on earth. This episode can be found on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube. Ives is the founder of Breakthrough Ideas and host of "The Real Story" on AM 560…

Illinois State Sen. Jil Tracy (R-Quincy), the Senate Republican Whip, joined the Prairie State Wire Podcast. Tracy was elected to represent Illinois’ 50th Senate District in November 2022, running unopposed in both the Republican Primary and General Election. She previously represented the the 47th Senate District from 2017 to 2023, and represented…