Get the latest news from around Illinois.
Chicago Tribune: Rauner gets his day at State Fair as Madigan calls meeting at Capitol
It’s Governor’s Day at the Illinois State Fair, a time for Republicans to rally and promote their fight against Democrats as candidates wind up their young campaigns.
Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner’s fair event is set to start at noon, but Democratic Speaker Michael Madigan has scheduled a meeting of the Illinois House at the Capitol at 11 a.m.
State Journal-Register: House won’t vote on education bill veto override Wednesday
The Illinois House will not vote Wednesday on overriding Gov. Bruce Rauner’s amendatory veto of a school funding reform bill, the House sponsor said Tuesday.
Instead, Rep. Will Davis, D-Homewood, said the chamber will take up a separate bill that contains all of the changes Rauner made to Senate Bill 1, the school funding reform bill.
Chicago Tribune: Lawmakers, quit toying with Illinois schools and their 2 million students
Members of the Illinois House are scheduled to be in Springfield on Wednesday, but don’t expect a resolution to the school funding crisis — once again.
House Speaker Michael Madigan called the House back into session, but he reportedly plans to showboat instead of lead — once again. He should be scurrying to find common ground on a school funding compromise and not running down the clock — once again.
Chicago Tribune: New state science test raises the bar but proficiency drops
More than a year after students took a new state science exam but never got their scores, the state is providing at least a glimpse of how well kids did — and it’s sobering.
Only about 39 percent of high school students passed the new science exam in 2016, meaning those kids were considered “proficient.” Close to 60 percent of grade school students passed, according to an analysis by the Illinois State Board of Education.
Chicago Tribune: Rauner expected to approve Illinois' revived corporate tax incentives
A bill heading for Gov. Bruce Rauner’s desk would reinstate Illinois’ premier corporate tax incentive program and, some argue, could help the state edge out other Midwestern contenders for projects heavy on job creation.
Rauner plans to sign the bill, spokeswoman Laurel Patrick said.
Chicago Tribune: Metra board could choose new CEO today
The Metra board of directors on Wednesday is expected to vote on a new executive director to replace Don Orseno, who is retiring at the end of the year.
No board members interviewed would say what names will be considered when they meet in executive session during their regular monthly meeting. Members said there are a few different candidates, both from within and outside of the commuter rail agency.
Chicago Tribune: The Metra board of directors on Wednesday is expected to vote on a new executive director to replace Don Orseno, who is retiring at the end of the year. No board members interviewed would say what names will be considered when they meet in executive session during their regular monthly meeting. Members said there are a few different candidates, both from within and outside of the commuter rail agency.
The city’s largest charter school operator is headed toward a December legal showdown with teachers who’ve accused school leaders of obstructing ongoing efforts to form a labor union.
Teachers trying to organize at the Noble Network of Charter Schools urged officials to settle the case Tuesday, two weeks after the National Labor Relations Board determined there was evidence to support charges that Noble interfered with the unionization drive.
Chicago Sun-Times: House Republicans to introduce bill to block Cook County pop tax
Five Republican members of the Illinois House of Representatives introduced a bill that would kill Cook County’s tax on sweetened beverages.
Four of them — Michael McAuliffe (R-Chicago), Christine Winger (R-Bloomingdale), Peter Breen (R-Lombard) and Grant Wehrli (R-Naperville) — discussed the legislation at a news conference Tuesday morning at the Thompson Center. Also sponsoring the bill is Keith Wheeler (R-Oswego).
Decatur Herald & Review: Richland board approves $820K in bonds
Richland Community College’s board of trustees approved a plan to issue bonds in the aggregate amount of $820,000 consolidate current claims.
Vice President of Finance and Administration Greg Florian said this would allow the college to refinance alternate bonds that were issued earlier this year. With the claims now finalized, which include early retirement payments and technology upgrades and furniture in the Student Success Center, Florian said this cost-saving move made sense.
Belleville News-Democrat: Jet Aviation in Cahokia to lay off 330 employees
About 330 Jet Aviation St. Louis employees are expected to lose their jobs at St. Louis Downtown Airport in Cahokia in the coming months, as parent company General Dynamicsplans to discontinue the plane finishing work that Jet Aviation performs, company officials said Tuesday.
Virgina-based General Dynamics plans to move another subsidiary, Gulfstream Aerospace Corp., into the Cahokia airport, where Jet Aviation once had more than 1,000 employees several years ago.