As mayor, Richard M. Daley sure threw one hell of a bash. Turns out, though, that what we thought was an open bar was actually a cash bar. Now his successor is handing Chicago residents the latest—and what he promises will be the last—tab for the party.

No one wants to pay higher taxes. But Mayor Rahm Emanuel is doing the right thing by raising revenue to fill the shortfalls Chicago has run up in its public employee pension plans. He also deserves credit for negotiating deals with the city’s labor unions that should reduce the burden on taxpayers of funding pension benefits going forward.

Gov. Bruce Rauner vetoed a bill aimed at making voter registration automatic in Illinois, citing concerns about potential voting fraud and conflicts with federal law.

The first-term Republican governor said he wanted to continue negotiations with supporters to work out those issues, but groups backing the measure accused him of playing politics with his veto and said they would seek an override.

The legislation, approved on the final day of the spring session in May, received overwhelming support, 86-30 in the House and 50-7 in the Senate. If those totals held, the governor’s move could be easily overturned, but pressure dynamics could come into play as Rauner tries to make his veto stick.

The mayor of Rosemont has been cleared to get a 53 percent raise to $260,000 next year.

Village trustees approved the hike Wednesday for Brad Stephens to take effect in May, if he is re-elected in April, as expected.

Though Stephens is an elected official, he works like a full-time village administrator, Rosemont spokesman Gary Mack said. In a community of about 4,200 residents, Stephens oversees a staff of more than 200 full-time and 500 part-time employees, with a budget of $182 million, the village reported. He also serves as de facto economic and community development director, traveling nationwide to attract hotels, restaurants and other businesses to the village, Mack said.

Sovereign immunity protects the state against breach of contract claims filed by a coalition of unpaid social service agencies and for-profit providers, Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan’s office argued in a filing today in Cook County Circuit Court.

The filing argues the court should dismiss the case because plaintiffs “fail to state a valid constitutional claim for impairment of contract or any other constitutional violation.” It argues the circuit court “lacks subject matter jurisdiction to adjudicate plaintiffs’ claims and to compel any payment due under the contracts at issue.”

In May the coalition, Pay Now Illinois, sued the state and was later joined by the Ounce of Prevention Fund, the early-childhood-education nonprofit led by Gov. Bruce Rauner’s wife, Diana. Pay Now’s lawsuit cited nonpayment of $130 million for work dating to mid-2015.

Illinois will return to the market with $573 million of new money and refunding bonds under a higher-rated sales tax-backed credit.

Fitch Ratings said the state will take competitive bids Aug. 24 on a $150 million junior obligation tax-exempt series and a $60 million junior taxable series. The next day it will take bids on $164.3 million of a junior tax-exempt refunding series and a $198.6 junior tax-exempt refunding series.

The bonds will finance various capital projects, refund certain of the state’s outstanding Build Illinois Bonds for savings, and pay costs of issuance, a state spokeswoman said.

Chicago Public Schools classes don’t start until Sept. 6, but students are already being schooled.

They — and the rest of the city — watch and learn as school district leaders, the Chicago Teachers Union and Mayor Rahm Emanuel hurtle toward a possible school strike this fall.

The teachers don’t have a contract. They haven’t had one for more than a year now. They could have walked out of classrooms last spring, but they didn’t. They, and CPS officials, kept negotiating.

Known as a rising star in Republican state politics — and a key legislative ally to Governor Bruce Rauner — Sen. Matt Murphy on Friday announced his resignation to take a government relations job at a public affairs firm.

Senate deputy Republican leader since 2013 and a senator since 2007, the outspoken Palatine legislator said in a statement on Friday that it’s time for him to “move on from public office.”

Emily Burchfield knew that with a 1-year-old daughter, another child on the way and her own business, she’d be busy this year.

But she didn’t realize that one of her biggest tasks would be scrambling to find new health insurance before her insurer, Land of Lincoln, shutters. She’s also grappling with the fact that she won’t get credit for the money she’s already paid toward her deductible and out-of-pocket maximum with Land of Lincoln when she switches insurers in October — just two months before her baby is due.

“I’m just really still so shocked that that’s not considered illegal,” said the 39-year-old psychotherapist from the Lincoln Square neighborhood. “It’s going to be a huge financial burden especially given the fact my partner is unemployed.” Her partner suffered a stroke last year, she said.

The manager of the Pontoon Beach Public Water District has been fired under allegations of misappropriating funds, and an FBI investigation is underway.

Minutes from the June meeting of the water district board show that following a closed session regarding personnel, district manager Brian Buske was terminated for “misappropriation of funds.”

Buske could not be reached for comment. A phone number listed for him was disconnected, and no one answered the door when a reporter visited a home address listed for Buske in Pontoon Beach on Thursday.

Pontoon Beach Police Chief Chris Modrusic said the department started a preliminary investigation into possible employee misconduct at the Pontoon Beach Public Water District on June 6, but that they immediately requested assistance due to the complex financial nature of the case. Modrusic said they received boxes full of materials from the water district.