The Department of Employment Security says Illinois’ unemployment rate rose again in January, reaching 6.3 percent.

The department’s monthly report on Thursday also noted that U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics revised December’s figure upward to 6.1 percent rather than the originally reported 5.9 percent.

The department said January unemployment was up .2 percent. The report noted that government employers lost a net 2,600 jobs and companies in the other services category lost 2,100 jobs.

Still, the state had 57,600 more jobs in January than it had a year earlier.

Department director Jeff Mays complained the state lags the nation in job growth and has throughout the recovery from the last recession.

The national unemployment rate for January was 4.9 percent.

Chicago Public Schools on Thursday filed a lawsuit seeking $65 million in damages and losses against its former corrupt CEO, Barbara Byrd-Bennett, and others allegedly connected to trying to defraud the school system in a contract scam.

CPS CEO Forrest Claypool said in a statement: “With scarce resources, staff furloughs and painful budget cuts, CPS is keeping a close watch on every dollar. Barbara Byrd-Bennett and her co-conspirators knew the district’s dire straits and still concocted this scheme to divert needed resources away from classrooms and line their own pockets. So today CPS took action in Cook County court to go after the $65 million in damages and civil penalties that our children are entitled to receive. With serious budget challenges facing the district, we’ll continue to fight for every dollar our children deserve.”

CPS is entitled under Illinois law to go after individuals who have defrauded it.

Three times in 40 years — in the 1950s, in the ’70s and in the ’90s — the Township and the Borough of Princeton, New Jersey, tried unsuccessfully to merge. The two finally combined into the new Municipality of Princeton a few years ago, allowing them to cut out redundant services and save millions on policing, snow removal and trash pickup.

Across the country, advocates of consolidation, including governors like New Jersey’s Chris Christie and Illinois’ Bruce Rauner, both Republicans, tout the municipal combinations as a way to streamline services and save taxpayers money.

An Illinois report released in December sparked a conversation in that state and in others. It found that living in an area with too many layers of government increases property taxes on residents (the report didn’t break out business taxes) and makes it all but impossible to remember which governmental entity governs what.

A plan to loosen aldermanic control over outside store signs—a power that some aldermen have found to be a ready means to raise campaign cash—has hit a speed bump in the City Council.

Under the original version of the proposal, each outside sign no longer would have required a separate ordinance, or law, to be enacted, as it the case now.

Instead, the Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection would have been empowered to issue a permit administratively, though the local alderman would be notified and have a chance to object if he or she chose.

Chicago Public School principals were being instructed on Wednesday to stop spending money because the broke school district that has already imposed budget cuts, layoffs and unpaid furlough days is running out of cash to make a giant pension payment on June 30.

And warnings to get ready for a “lean July,” the first month of the new fiscal year, left them with many questions about how to plan to open school doors on time in September.

CPS officials told their principals in a webinar that the district was stockpiling remaining cash to make a $688 million pension payment on June 30 — weeks before new property tax revenue was expected to hit CPS bank accounts.

The University of Illinois is spending tens of millions of dollars to hire its new football coach. And the school’s leaders say they anticipated questions about the money as the state government struggles through tough financial times.

Lovie Smith was hired Monday and will be paid $21 million over six years in base salary alone.

University officials tell The News-Gazette in Champaign that the money comes from donations and sports-related revenue. It does not include tuition or funding the school would typically get from the state. The state budget standoff means the school isn’t getting any of the state money this year anyway.

University President Timothy Killeen says he’s comfortable with spending the money to build up the football program.

Despite being one of the lowest paid coaches in the BIG 10 new Illini football coach Lovie Smith is now the highest paid state employee in Illinois.

With a 6 year $21 million dollar deal the 58 year old Smith makes more money than Governor Rauner, legislative leaders and professors at Illinois’ largest university.

University of Illinois officials anticipated facing questions about how the school is paying millions of dollars to hire a new football coach amid a state financial crisis. But they stress that the money to hire former Bears coach Smith comes from athletics funds and not school funds depleted by declining state aid.