Federal budget cuts threaten essential programs in Rockford, mayor says
ROCKFORD, Ill. (WTVO) — Rockford Mayor Tom McNamara emphasized concerns regarding how federal budget cuts will affect the city at Monday's 'State of the City' address.
The annual address was given in City Council chambers, where McNamara said, 'Federal funding pauses, shifts in priorities, and changes in grant programs will not only impact our local government, but it will impact our nonprofits, our businesses, and many, many residents who rely on those funds.'
'So let me be clear. If the federal government does cut programs such as Headstart, LIHEAP and housing programs, the city simply cannot cover. The costs in our community will suffer. our residents, Rockfordians will suffer,' he added.
McNamara said the city continues to see growth in several areas, including population, housing, and property values.
'Property values have grown by more than 50%, and they are at our city's highest point in our history. And at the same time, property values are up. Our property tax rate is the lowest it's been since 1984. We are actually we are the only major taxing body in Winnebago County that has actually reduced its property tax levy over the last ten years. Heck, even the is taking note of our work,' said McNamara.
Violent crime is , he said.
'Violent crime is down. And, 're making tremendous progress in our juvenile crime. In just the last two years, we've reduced the number of juveniles being arrested by 21%,' McNamara said.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
22 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Teen girl missing for a week last seen on South Side
CHICAGO — A search is underway this week for a teen girl who officers say has been missing for several days. Chicago police say 15-year-old Gersimar Sanchez Quintana has been missing since Thursday, May 29. LATEST CASES: Missing people in Chicagoland The missing teen girl was last spotted near the 7000 block of South Parnell Avenue, in Englewood, on the city's South Side. Officers say Sanchez Quintana, who stands 5 feet tall and weighs around 150 pounds, has brown eyes and black hair. According to police, the teen was last seen wearing blue shorts, though it is unclear what kind of shirt she was wearing at the time of her disappearance. Authorities shared details about the missing teen's disappearance in a news release sent out on Wednesday. Read more: Latest Chicago news and headlines Anyone with information on the whereabouts of 15-year-old Gersimar Sanchez Quintana is asked to contact the CPD Area One SVU at 312-747-8380 or dial 911. Those with information that could help authorities in their investigation can also leave a tip at Tips can be filed anonymously. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
37 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Trump administration extends tariff pause on Chinese-made chips for 90 days
The Trump administration has extended a long-running exemption for Chinese-made chips from a 25 percent tariff imposed during President Trump's first administration. The office of U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said in a notice posted Saturday it was extending the exemption, set to expire that day, to Aug. 31. The 25 percent tariff, which initially went into effect in 2019, would have applied to a variety of products, including graphics processing units — the chips at the heart of the artificial intelligence (AI) boom. The extension of the years-long tariff exemption comes as the second Trump administration weighs whether to impose separate import taxes on semiconductors. Trump has imposed wide-ranging tariffs in his second term, instituting hefty 'reciprocal' tariffs on dozens of countries, including China. However, he has put many of these import taxes on hold in the face of market concerns. Semiconductors were exempted from these tariffs, although the president has said he plans to impose separate sector-specific tariffs. The White House announced in April it opened a national security investigation into the effects of importing semiconductors, the first step toward instituting tariffs under a provision known as Section 232. Semiconductor tariffs, like other import taxes on tech products, pose difficulties for companies given tech firms' heavy reliance on international supply chains. Nvidia, a leading chipmaker, has begun producing some of its advanced chips at a factory in Arizona and plans to spend $500 billion expanding its AI infrastructure in the U.S. over the next four years. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Adrienne Adams launches first NYC mayoral campaign ad blitz, but is there time to break through?
Mayoral hopeful Adrienne Adams is launching a multi-million dollar campaign ad portraying her as a drama-free professional who can 'rise above' the fray of New York politics — her first big spend of the 2025 election cycle, which comes amid signs of growing momentum, but also as questions loom about whether she has enough time to break through. The 30-second ad, entitled 'Rise Above' and set to hit television and digital airwaves Thursday, less than three weeks ahead of the primary, features a piano-led gospel track, as Adams declares: 'In New York City, we know drama, but as City Council speaker, I rise above it.' Pictured behind a church pulpit, she then touts how she as speaker reversed library and child care budget cuts enacted by Mayor Adams — who is not related to her — and recently secured a temporary restraining order blocking President Trump's administration from putting federal immigration agents on Rikers Island. 'And now I'm running for mayor, not for power or praise, but for my children and for yours, for affordability, for safety, for justice,' she says in the ad, which the Daily News got an exclusive preview of. 'I'm in it for us.' The speaker's campaign didn't immediately have an exact figure for how much she expects to plunk down on the ad. But her spokeswoman Lupe Todd-Medina said it will be in the 'multi' millions. The ad blitz comes after the speaker unlocked matching funds for her campaign last week, netting more than $2 million in the coveted public cash. Had she not gotten that cash boost, she wouldn't have been able to qualify for matching cash until June 20, just four days before the June 24 Democratic mayoral primary. Even before getting matching funds, signs have emerged Adrienne Adams' mayoral pitch is gaining traction with voters. A recent Marist poll put her in third place, behind front-runner Andrew Cuomo and No. 2 candidate Zohran Mamdani, marking her best showing to date. Her rise in the polls came after she was endorsed by New York Attorney General Letitia James and DC 37, the city's largest public sector union. Still, the speaker, whose name-recognition on a citywide level is low, has lots of ground to catch up with less than four weeks to go until the primary and early voting starting June 14. The Marist poll projected her clutching 11% support in a simulated first ranked-choice voting round, well behind Mamdani's 22% and Cuomo's 44%. Trip Yang, a New York City Democratic strategist who isn't involved with any mayoral campaigns this year, said the fact that Adrienne Adams was already climbing in the polls before she launched a major ad blitz is a positive sign. 'She absolutely has a shot,' he said. 'She has already been in third place in some polls without much spending, and now she has the matching funds. That's a huge boost of adrenaline for her campaign.' Yang noted City Comptroller Brad Lander has typically grabbed the No. 3 spot in most mayoral race polls. 'But Brad has already spent millions of dollars [on ads], and she barely has spent any and she's already climbing,' he said. 'By that logic, Adrienne has a much higher ceiling.' The ad rollout comes after the mayoral candidates faced off at the first Democratic primary debate on Wednesday night. The debate was dominated by the eight other candidates on stage ganging up on Cuomo, blasting his record and accusing him of being unfit for office, having resigned as governor in 2021 amid sexual misconduct accusations he denies. Speaker Adams made waves when she interrupted Cuomo on stage after he declined to offer any 'personal regrets' when asked by moderators. 'No regrets when it comes to cutting Medicaid or health care, no regrets when it comes to cutting child care, when it comes to slow walking [personal protective equipment] and vaccinations in the season of COVID to Black and brown communities — really, no regrets?' she fumed at Cuomo while shaking her head.
