A measure creating a task force to look into monthly guaranteed taxpayer-funded “unrestricted cash” subsidies to certain individuals in Illinois is being discussed in the state legislature.

An Illinois Senate appropriations committee Wednesday heard about Senate Bill 3462 from state Sen. Ram Villivalam, D-Chicago.

As bets roll in on another season of March Madness, Gov. J.B. Pritzker is aiming to bust the tax bracket for Illinois sportsbooks and net the state a bigger piece of the action from a still-booming billion-dollar sports wagering market entering its fifth year.

Casino sportsbooks across Illinois have paid a 15% tax on their revenue after paying out winners since legal betting launched in 2020, but the Democratic governor’s latest budget proposal would increase that rate to 35%.

Nearly a dozen members of Chicago’s City Council Wednesday demanded Mayor Brandon Johnson call for removing ally Ald. Byron Sigcho-Lopez as head of the council’s Housing Committee as punishment for the alderman speaking in front of a charred American flag at a pro-Palestinian rally outside City Hall this past Friday.

While it’s unclear how closely Johnson will heed the call for action, the clamor came as the group of aldermen held a heated news conference at City Hall, where all three veterans on the council and several colleagues blasted as “reprehensible” Sigcho-Lopez’s participation in the demonstration where protest organizers say a veteran set fire to the American flag. The aldermanic group also pledged to hold a special council meeting, now scheduled for Monday, if Sigcho-Lopez isn’t held accountable.

The lead held by retired judge Eileen O’Neill Burke widened slightly Wednesday in the close Democratic race to replace Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx, as Chicago election officials counted a total of 2,838 ballots and Cook County officials counted approximately 255 mail-in ballots under increasing pressure.

O’Neill Burke added 39 votes to her lead on Wednesday, according to unofficial results. She now has a lead of 1,637 votes, according to the Associated Press tabulation as of Wednesday evening.

Naperville is once again at the top — this time as the country’s best city to live in, according to the website Niche.

Though Naperville has ranked high in listings, it is the first time it has topped Niche’s “Best City to Live in America” list. Naperville edged out other communities such as The Woodland in Texas, Cambridge, Mass.; Arlington, Virg.; and Plano, Texas.