• How litigation costs against cities like New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles are spiraling out of control and fueling budget crises.
• Why weak leadership and "settle-first" policies have encouraged a wave of frivolous lawsuits.
• How state-level laws and mismanagement make municipalities easy targets for trial lawyers at taxpayers' expense.

In this episode of the Prairie State Wire podcast, host Bryan Hyde sits down with Matt Wigginton, the newly elected mayor of Peoria Heights. Wigginton explains his decision to veto a proposed local grocery tax after Illinois repealed the statewide version, arguing that taxing essentials would hit his community's struggling families the hardest.

He shares the economic history of Peoria Heights, concerns about creating a food desert, and how keeping groceries tax-free could help attract new stores. Wigginton also reflects on being one of the few municipal leaders in Illinois to reject the tax, the feedback he's received from residents and peers, and why he believes real relief starts at the local level.

Laurie Parman on raising Illinois' educational standardsIn this episode of the Prairie State Wire podcast, host Bryan Hyde talks with Laurie Parman, a retired educator with 30 years of experience and a mission to raise educational standards in Illinois by improving literacy and rooting out the distracting ideological agendas and wasteful spending. Laurie discusses her experiences during her three decades in the classroom and what stirred her passion to reach the students considered "unreachable" by other educators.