Sun-Times: State Board of Ed launches financial probe of CPS
A day after Gov. Bruce Rauner accused a broke Chicago Public Schools of getting special treatment from the state, his handpicked state education team launched a financial investigation of Illinois’ largest school district that could lead to the takeover the governor is seeking.
CPS must turn over detailed financial information about cash flow, bonds, payroll and major contracts by March 4. That’s according to a letter sent Thursday by Tony Smith and James Meeks, the superintendent and the board chairman of the Illinois State Board of Education, about CPS’ “concerning financial situation.”
They sent the letter to CPS chief Forrest Claypool and Board of Education president Frank Clark.
The Southern: As Illinois universities await funding, some students look out of state
While working in a lab at Southern Illinois University this past summer, rumors of downsizing — professors leaving and programs getting the ax — left Troy Johnson dismayed.
The work was rewarding, but all the talk of scaling back, of stagnation, left Johnson, a John A. Logan College sophomore who had hoped to transfer to SIU in his junior year, wishing he could leave Illinois altogether.
“It was kind of a shock,” said Johnson, a Marion native who hopes to study biology. “The fact it’s possibly necessary to cut those positions at a university, it was disheartening.
Sun-Times: State board rules against teacher 'steps and lanes' raises
A state board that oversees school labor disputes ruled against immediately reinstating raises for education and experience to members of the Chicago Teachers Union, but could reconsider the teachers’ request at a later trial.
A cash-strapped Chicago Public Schools told the union over the summer that it wouldn’t pay the “steps and lanes” raises while the parties negotiated a new contract to replace the one that expired June 30.
Fox: Lawsuit blames Chicago officials for lead contamination in city's drinking water
Chicago residents filed a class-action lawsuit Thursday against the city, claiming that unsafe lead levels in their drinking water has contaminated their water supply for years and officials should be forced to remove the thousands of lead pipes to fix the issue.
The Chicago Tribune reported that the lawsuit quotes a 2013 EPA study that found elevated lead in homes’ drinking water after city construction disrupted lead service lines and they failed to warn residents about the risk.
The EPA report warned that Chicago’s attempts to upgrade the city’s water system might pose health risks from toxic metal poisoning. The Guardian reported that city officials have scrutinized the report, saying that the city’s water is safe from lead contamination.
Northwest Herald: Skeptics doubt new Chicago video policy will rebuild trust
Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s promise to release videos of police shootings in no more than three months was touted as a way to bring more transparency to Chicago after the city took more than a year to make public the footage of a teenager’s death.
But skeptics question why Chicago needs so long to release the same type of videos that Cincinnati and Seattle already make public within days, if not hours. That has sown doubts that the new practice will do little to restore the trust that was damaged when the public saw the now-famous video of a white officer firing an entire magazine into Laquan McDonald, who was black, as he appeared to walk away from police.
The policy announced Tuesday calls for all videos to be released within 60 days. The deadline could be extended to 90 days if law enforcement requests a delay.
NWI: Bill would raise Illinois smoking age to 21
A group of health organizations says raising the legal age for purchasing tobacco products in Illinois from 18 to 21 would drastically reduce smoking among young people and cut into the $2 billion the state’s Medicaid program spends annually on tobacco-related health problems.
American Lung Association spokeswoman Kathy Drea said that while there’s “no single magic bullet to reduce tobacco use,” Illinois has taken many steps in recent years to do so, including increasing taxes and banning smoking in public buildings and on the campuses of public colleges and universities.
Raising the legal age for purchasing cigarettes and other tobacco products, including electronic cigarettes, is the next logical step, supporters say.
Business News Daily: State of Small Business: Illinois
As part of our yearlong project, “The State of Small Business,” in which we will report on the small business environment in every state in America, Business News Daily asked a few of Illinois’ 1,169,961 business owners to tell us about the challenges and opportunities of doing business in their state. Here’s what they had to say.
Illinois’ small businesses operate in an environment that includes high taxes, uncertainty generated from budgetary deadlock in the state capital and an economic recovery that has not kept pace with the rest of the nation.
However, a skilled and diverse labor force and a major metropolitan market in Chicago offer unique opportunities to entrepreneurs willing to brave the business climate here. For small business owners who can take advantage of these opportunities and successfully navigate the myriad challenges, Illinois can be fertile ground for growing profits.