Get the latest news from around Illinois.
Chicago Tribune: Chicago removes Wisconsin, Nebraska from mandatory travel quarantine list — but Iowa and Kansas are going back on
The city of Chicago has removed Wisconsin and Nebraska from its mandatory quarantine order, but is putting Iowa and Kansas back on this Friday.
Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s administration added Wisconsin and Nebraska to the 14-day self-quarantine order in late July. Kansas and Iowa were pulled from the list earlier this month, but will be back on as of Friday, according to the mayor’s office.
The Center Square: Report: Only 1 in 5 of the 143 largest public pension plans is resilient
Only one in five of the 143 largest statewide public retirement systems in the U.S. are resilient, a new analysis published by the bipartisan nonprofit Equable Institute shows.
Public sector funding peaked in 2001, with nearly 3 out of 4 statewide plans 90 percent funded or better. By 2020, one in five statewide plans have a “resilient funded” status.
Capitol News Illinois: Pritzker extends emergency housing relief application period
Illinoisans suffering economic decline due to COVID now have an extra week to apply for emergency rental assistance.
Gov. JB Pritzker announced Tuesday that the Illinois Housing Development Authority, or IHDA, extended the deadline for Illinois renters to apply for the Emergency Rental Assistance Program until noon Friday, Aug. 28.
The Center Square: Progressive income tax debate focuses on women ahead of November vote
Voters will decide the fate of Illinois proposed progressive income tax amendment in November, but groups continue to debate the impact the proposal will have on residents.
Changing Illinois’ flat income tax to a structure with higher rates for higher earners will either be good for women and minorities or it will diminish their access to jobs, according to groups on opposing sides of the tax issue.
Belleville News-Democrat: Madison County braces for ‘unprecedented’ financial shortfall, ponders cutting raises
Some Madison County employees may not be receiving cost-of-living raises next year, as the financial toll of COVID-19 begins to rear its head on the government level.
The Madison County Personnel Committee unanimously voted to rescind a 2.24 percent cost-of-living increase originally approved in Dec. 2019. The cut will affect 362 non-union employees.
Chicago Sun-Times: Lightfoot warns of layoffs and furloughs without revenue replacement money from Congress
Saddled with a shortfall that’s $700 million and growing, Mayor Lori Lightfoot said Tuesday she will have no choice but to order employee “layoffs and furloughs” without another round of stimulus money to replace revenue lost during the coronavirus pandemic.
Lightfoot has said repeatedly that raising property taxes is her last resort and layoffs and furloughs are next to last. She has called previous rounds of furloughs demoralizing to city workers.
Chicago Tribune: What is ‘kettling’? It’s a controversial tactic to contain crowds, and Chicago police are accused of using it during downtown protests.
After violent clashes between police and protesters in downtown Chicago over the weekend, it seemed everyone from lawmakers and civil rights advocates to activists were accusing officers of “kettling,” a controversial practice for controlling crowds.
The tactic usually involves lines of police officers corralling a group of people, who are either contained in a small area or are allowed to leave through an exit controlled by police. Some call it “trap and detain.” Others say it is dangerous and unconstitutional and should be outlawed.
Crain's Chicago Business: Possible cost to replace Chicago's lead water lines: $10 billion
Water Commissioner Randy Conner’s “back of the envelope” calculation put the total replacement cost at $8 billion to $10 billion, and the replacement would be a “daunting task,” he told aldermen at a hearing on city infrastructure today.
Daily Herald: Navy Pier to close after Labor Day until possibly spring because of pandemic losses
Chicago’s Navy Pier, one of the top tourist attractions in Illinois, will temporarily close down from Sept. 8 until the spring of 2021.
The pier-wide closure after Labor Day affects more than 70 small local businesses, and is an effort to limit the financial burden and impact of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. For 2020, Navy Pier’s projected deficit is $20 million.