Get the latest news headlines from around Illinois.
Sun-Times: Rauner OKs decriminalizing possession of small amounts of pot
Possession of small amounts of marijuana is now a civil offense across Illinois, punishable only by fines — not jail time.
Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner signed legislation decriminalizing small amounts of pot on Friday, after vetoing a bill last year that sought to allow slightly larger amounts.
AP: Rauner signs plan limiting mentally ill from owning guns
Gov. Bruce Rauner has signed a measure designed to prevent people with mental disabilities from owning guns.
The proposal Rauner signed Friday strengthens existing law by requiring circuit court clerks to report the names of people a judge deems mentally disabled to the Illinois State Police at least twice a year. The new law takes effect immediately.
Under the old law, a person deemed by a judge to have a mental illness could lose his or her gun owner identification card. One of the plan’s sponsors, Democratic state Sen. Julie Morrison, had said that not all counties in the state were complying.
She has said her proposal would create better communication between court clerks and state police
Legislators approved the plan unanimously.
Chicago Tribune: Chicago police officers' credibility questioned by judge in at least 13 cases
Cook County prosecutors recently notified defense lawyers in at least 10 criminal cases that a judge found the court testimony of a veteran Chicago police officer to be false, a determination about the officer’s credibility that could affect the cases as they move to trial.
The state’s attorney’s office also has told defense lawyers in at least three other cases that another Cook County judge has cast doubt on testimony from two other police officers, raising questions about those cases as well.
Prosecutors notified the lawyers through a type of court filing commonly called a disclosure notice, and followed a Chicago Tribune investigation in May that found Chicago police were rarely punished when a judge found they had testified falsely or in a way that raised questions about their credibility
Sun-Times: The people Rod Blagojevich left behind
In December 2011, before sentencing Rod Blagojevich to 14 years in prison, U.S. District Judge James Zagel scolded the former governor not only for disappointing the people of Illinois but also for destroying careers and lives along the way.
Blagojevich’s lawyers had argued his advisers failed their boss by not adequately steering the governor in moral and legal directions. Zagel didn’t buy it, saying, “He marched them and ruined a few of their careers and more than that in the process.”
The Southern: Illinois voter registration system back online after cyberattack
Illinois’ voter registration system is back online about two weeks after it was shut down in the wake of a cyberattack.
Ken Menzel, general counsel for the Illinois State Board of Elections, said Friday that the board’s focus has been on securing the voter database before bringing it back online. The board will continue investigating the attack to determine how many voters’ information may have been accessed.
The attack, which the board told local election authorities it believes was the work of foreign hackers, occurred July 12, and the online registration system was taken down the following day as a precaution. It was brought back online late Thursday afternoon.
Daily Southtown: Mapping a way to term limits
Nobody has less trust in their state government than Illinoisans.
For years, Gallup polling has placed the Land of Lincoln dead last in the nation on that measure.
Who can blame us?
Illinois is one of the most corrupt states in the country, and contains the nation’s most corrupt metropolis. Researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago peg the Windy City as the nation’s “corruption capital.”
AP: Illinois seeking new private manager for state's lottery
State officials are officially seeking a new private manager for the Illinois Lottery after moving to terminate Northstar Lottery Group’s contract last year.
Gov. Bruce Rauner announced the release Thursday of a request for proposal on a 10-year $300 million contract. He says proposed contract changes eliminate past problems.