Get the latest news from around Illinois.
Crain's Chicago Business: Illinois House approves Trump tax-cap workaround
In a gesture of political defiance that even some Republicans found hard to resist, the Illinois House today overwhelmingly approved a bill that, if upheld, would give the state’s taxpayers a workaround to new federal tax rules limiting the deduction for state and local taxes to $10,000 a year.
The measure passed 93-15, far more votes than the 60 needed and well above what would be required to overcome any veto by Gov. Bruce Rauner, who has not publicly stated a position on the measure.
Rockford Register-Star: Remap proponents make new case to stop gerrymandering in Illinois
Proponents of changing the way Illinois draws political maps had their moment Wednesday, but they appear no closer to getting the issue before voters.
Proposed constitutional amendments have been introduced in both the House and Senate that would take the remapping process away from politicians and put it in the hands of an independent commission.
Chicago Tribune: State panel: Overhaul worsened Chicago Public Schools' special education program
A controversial Chicago Public Schools overhaul of special education policies in 2016 created a range of problems that have delayed and denied services to students, according to an Illinois State Board of Education investigation.
“Systemic” concerns identified by an ISBE panel included a lack of training for special ed staff, conflicting information for parents and educators, and problems with electronic programs meant to assess students’ needs for services or develop education plans.
Chicago Tribune: CPS budget bump offers cash for salary hikes, special education and shrinking schools
Chicago Public Schools will provide about $60 million in additional funding to schools for the next academic year, an increase district officials said will cover salary increases for unionized teachers and restore a special education funding model that was abandoned amid much controversy in 2016.
The modest per-school spending bump will allow principals to maintain staff levels from this year. The district also said 129 schools that have suffered sharp enrollment declines and struggled to provide a basic education will share an additional $10 million to $15 million to protect against staff or program cuts.
Chicago Tribune: Doctor working for Cook County tallied $248K in unauthorized expenses — including piano, flights, iTunes charges
A Cook County doctor quietly resigned after a government watchdog uncovered $248,322 in unauthorized spending, some of which benefited him personally, records and interviews show.
Cook County Inspector General Patrick Blanchard concluded in 2016 that Bala Hota had improperly taken grant money and spent it for his “personal benefit.”
Chicago Tribune: As pay and benefits stagnate, nontenured faculty and graduate students in Illinois, Chicago look to unions
Amaia Gabantxo has taught at the University of Chicago for seven years, but her job is hardly stable.
Gabantxo is an adjunct instructor, meaning she is paid per course and does not receive any benefits. Her pay has stagnated. She also works on a short-term contract and must hope her appointment is renewed each year — hardly a sure thing.
Chicago Tribune: Aldermen want hearings about lead in Chicago water, but an Emanuel ally sidelines them for now
Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s City Council floor leader on Wednesday sidelined for now a proposed public debate over whether the city’s doing enough to lower the amount of lead in drinking water.
A group of aldermen introduced a resolution Wednesday calling for committee hearings on whether the city and state are violating federal water laws. The aldermen did so in light of a Tribune story that showed lead concentrations in tap water at levels above the maximum allowed in bottled water by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 3 of every 10 homes where residents requested testing kits from the city.
Chicago Tribune: Cary to build $2.4 million Metra station
An unfortunately situated train station in Cary will be replaced by a new $2.4 million building under an agreement approved by the Metra board Wednesday.
The way it is now, commuters buy their tickets at the station on the south side and have to cross over to the north side, where there is no shelter, to catch a train to Chicago, Metra spokesman Michael Gillis said.
Northwest Herald: Algonquin Township trustees pass resolution urging Lake in the Hills to stop water main sale
Algonquin Township officials passed a resolution Tuesday urging Lake in the Hills officials to hold off the sale of a deteriorating water main system to a private company residents fear will make their water bills unaffordable.
“Water is a human right, and it should not be monetized for exceptional profit,” Trustee Dave Chapman told the Northwest Herald. “It should not be on the backs of 71 residents.”
Daily Herald: $198K contract for Batavia school superintendent
Batavia school Superintendent Lisa Hichens got a raise Tuesday as part of a new, four-year contract.
The board voted 5-2 to approve the pact that will pay her $198,918 a year, starting July 1. Her current salary is $194,827, according to the district.
Daily Herald: Pay raises approved for some Mundelein High employees
Mundelein High School’s administrative assistants and maintenance workers are among the employees who’ll get 6-percent pay raises this summer.
The school board on Tuesday approved the salary bumps for those workers, as well as staffers working in the business and technology offices and some departmental directors.
Daily Herald: East Dundee extends garbage collection fee for another year
East Dundee will continue charging homeowners for garbage collection services for at least another year, despite voters’ support last month for repealing the fee.
The $19.90 monthly charge was implemented last September to help fill a budget shortfall. The ordinance included a sunset clause that would have kicked in at the end of the month if trustees hadn’t voted this week to extend it until April 30, 2019.
Belleville News-Democrat: County jails need upgrades, but voters won't approve the money. Here's what's being done.
Madison County will soon undertake a multimillion-dollar jail renovation project while its neighbors to the south in St. Clair County continue to feel the pain of a defeated 2017 sales tax proposal.
Both counties aimed for but missed renovation money in recent years, with Madison County asking voters to approve more than $18 million in government bond sales in 2013. St. Clair County voters in 2014 and again in 2017 considered a sales tax hike that would have generated $22 million every year for jail renovations and public safety.
Belleville News-Democrat: Here's what Madison County wants to do to keep property taxes under control
Madison County Board members could soon consider putting a property tax limit question on the November ballot if they move forward with a proposal from Board Chairman Kurt Prenzler.
The limit, known as the Property Tax Extension Limitation Law, is not a property tax cap. Rather, it is a limitation on the amount of money taxing districts can ask for during the previous year.