QUOTE OF THE DAY
Daily Herald: Illinois lead nation in highest unemployment rate drop
Illinois led 22 states last month posting the biggest drop in the unemployment rate, as the nation at large claimed a fifth straight month of solid hiring.
The Labor Department says unemployment rates rose in 14 states. Meanwhile, employers added jobs in 33 states and cut back in 17.
The unemployment rate in Illinois fell to 7.1 percent from 7.5 percent. The state’s rate has fallen by 0.8 percentage points in the past two months, partly because more people have given up searching for work.
Northwest Herald: Local legislators opt out of pensions
One of the first moves state Rep. David McSweeney made after assuming office in January 2013 was completing paperwork to opt out of the pension system, he said.
“I think this is a part-time job,” McSweeney said, “and with all the financial problems the state has, I don’t think legislators deserve pensions.”
As Illinois continues to grapple with pension reform in the midst of heavy financial woes, McSweeney, R-Barrington Hills, is joined in his decision by an increasing number of state legislators.
CBS Local: Lawsuit Seeks Partial Refund For Red Light Tickets
A Chicago man has filed a lawsuit seeking class action status against the city’s former red light camera vendor, claiming the company should provide approximately $100 million in refunds to motorists caught by the cameras, because it only got the contract through bribery.
Matthew Falkner filed the federal lawsuit Thursday against Redflex Traffic Systems and its Australia-based parent company, Redflex Holdings.
Falkner received a $100 red light ticket at the intersection of 76th Street and Stony Island Avenue on Jan. 19, 2013, according to the lawsuit. He claims, under the contract Redflex had with the city for 10 years, it received 20-25 percent of the money from every red light camera ticket.
Illinois Watchdog: Another Illinois business finds Indiana an attractive draw
Businesses in Illinois are having a hard time resisting the strong draw of Indiana’s business climate.
Citing kinder tax and regulatory codes, one Illinois businesses is packing up shop for Illinois’ eastern neighbor state.
Bryce Welty is the president of Superior Truss and Panels — a company that bills itself as “America’s largest fabricator and erector of light gauge steel trusses and wall panels” — and is moving his company to Indiana because he says the business climate is much more friendly there.
Illinois Watchdog: Proposed legislation puts mandatory furlough days back on the table
One Illinois lawmaker wants to reinstate a package of pay reduction for elected officials in the state.
State Rep. Katherine Cloonen, D – Kankakee, RECENTLY INTRODUCED LEGISLATION that would force Illinois legislators to take 12 unpaid furlough days each year — a rule that was instituted in 2011 after passing the General Assembly, then done away with in this spring’s legislative session.
Lawmakers essentially gave themselves a raise of $3,100 annually when they voted to eliminate the 12 unpaid furlough days, which had cost them a hair short of five percent of their salary on average.
CARTOON OF THE DAY
