Get the latest news from around Illinois.
Chicago Tribune: Where will Chicago's first casino land? Here's how the 5 proposed sites compare.
Which of five casino sites floated by Mayor Lori Lightfoot offers the best chance to reap a promised economic windfall?
A state-hired consultant has until Monday to determine whether a Chicago casino would be economically feasible. (The answer, almost certainly, is yes, given the size of the region’s population, the nation’s third-largest.)
Chicago Sun-Times: Pritzker’s new gambling guru takes over: ‘These are not ordinary times’
Newly appointed Illinois Gaming Board chairman Charles Schmadeke pledged Thursday that regulators “will not compromise on issues of integrity” as the state is poised to go all in on its unprecedented gambling expansion.
“In ordinary times, our work would be challenging, but these are not ordinary times,” the Springfield attorney said during his first public board meeting at the Bilandic Building in the Loop.
Chicago Tribune: Hundreds of small pension funds statewide face troubling debt. Is consolidation the way to go?
Mounting debt in more than 650 police and fire pension funds statewide is squeezing municipal budgets, crowding out services and threatening to add to ever-rising property tax bills as officials have repeatedly failed to reach consensus on an overhaul.
Cities and towns have long been at odds with police and firefighter unions over the most talked about solution, consolidating the funds, and a handful of bills aimed at fixing the problem went nowhere in the General Assembly’s spring session.
Chicago Tribune: Amid sexual harassment allegations in his organization, House Speaker Michael Madigan trumpets signing of anti-harassment law
Facing extensive criticism for his political and government offices’ handling of sexual harassment allegations, Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan is trumpeting passage of sweeping anti-harassment legislation that Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed into law Friday.
Spurred by the #MeToo movement, allegations of sexual harassment have rocked Madigan’s inner circle since early last year, when he dismissed a top political operative following a campaign worker’s allegations. The Chicago Tribune reported last month that federal investigators are looking into $10,000 in payments from current and former Commonwealth Edison lobbyists — including longtime Madigan ally Michael McClain — to that operative, Kevin Quinn, after he was ousted from the speaker’s organization.
WBEZ: City Colleges Walks Back Threats of Class Cancellations at Harold Washington College
A top administrator at Harold Washington College warned department chairs and associate deans this week the school would have to cancel more than 100 classes for the fall semester if they couldn’t find instructors.
“Hopefully, we will find faculty for the sections,” wrote Vincent Wiggins, dean of instruction at the college downtown, in an email. “If we do not have faculty for the sections, we will need to work with advising to relocate the students to different sections.”
Northwest Herald: New law gives McHenry County voters option to consolidate township government
Daily Herald: Buffalo Grove staff says 37% water rate hike may be best option
Buffalo Grove trustees are finding it a challenge coming to grips with the solutions on the table for addressing the village’s financial needs as it deals with aging infrastructure.
For the water and sewer system alone, the village staff is suggesting a 37% rate hike.