Get the latest news from around Illinois.
Chicago Tribune: Emanuel, Rauner spar in latest front in war over school funding
As politicians continue to bicker over state school funding with payments already behind, Gov. Bruce Rauner is accusing Mayor Rahm Emanuel of using the city’s tax increment finance districts as a “slush fund” that shortchanges Chicago Public Schools.
Emanuel fires back by saying the city has used TIF districts to pump more money into education than it could have in their absence. And he contends that Rauner’s assertions are meant to pit suburban and Downstate children against their city counterparts.
Chicago Sun-Times: Rauner vetoes plan requiring overdue bill reporting
Gov. Bruce Rauner vetoed legislation Friday to require regular reporting of bill backlogs by his Cabinet, calling it an attempt by Democratic Comptroller Susana Mendoza “to micromanage executive agencies.”
Mendoza pushed the legislation last spring, saying it would provide a better picture of the state’s liabilities. She said the $14.7 billion pile of past-due bills doesn’t reveal Illinois’ entire fiscal mess.
Chicago Sun-Times: Suits linked to Rutherford sex charges cost public $515K
More than three years after Dan Rutherford’s campaign for governor imploded spectacularly, one of two civil lawsuits against the former Republican state treasurer finally will go to trial Monday.
Although Rutherford long ago became a footnote in Illinois history, the cases stemming from his political demise are costing us dearly.
State Journal-Register: Illinois State Fair ‘getting along’ without historic Coliseum this year
Bringing back the iconic Coliseum for the 2018 Illinois State Fair has plenty of support around the horse barns at the Springfield fairgrounds.
“It was designed specifically for horses and livestock shows. It’s one of the few in the United States,” Phil Farrell, manager of the Draft Horse Show, said while preparing for state-fair competition earlier this week in an adjoining temporary arena.
Chicago Tribune: Harvey firefighters' pension on 'collision course' with bankruptcy, appeals court says
In an unprecedented ruling, an appellate court declared the city of Harvey so severely neglected its firefighters’ pension fund that it was on the verge of insolvency — meaning there might not be any money for retirees or firefighters on the job there today.
The ruling comes as local firefighters complain of equipment in disrepair and manpower cuts. And it follows another embarrassing ruling in which a Cook County judge took away control of Harvey’s water finances from leaders of the scandal-plagued and debt-ridden south suburb.
Chicago Tribune: Soda tax lawsuit alleges Jewel wrongfully taxed consumers paying with food stamps
The parent of Jewel-Osco was sued Friday for allegedly applying Cook County’s new sweetened-beverage tax to purchases made with federal food stamps, transactions that are supposed to be exempt from the penny-per-ounce tax.
Annie Morales and Antonia Morales sued Albertsons in Cook County Circuit Court, alleging that on Sunday they bought lemonade through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and were charged the tax.
NBC 5 Chicago: Bloomberg Funds $2 Million in Ads Backing Soda Tax
Former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg is throwing his support behind a Chicago-area sweetened beverage tax by financing an ad campaign backing the levy.
Bloomberg’s charity announced Thursday that $2 million will be spent on television, radio and digital ads. The ads will contend the tax could help fight “the epidemic of childhood obesity and diabetes” and support Cook County hospitals and health programs.
Peoria Journal-Star: Historic tax credit aiding Peoria will get governor’s signature
A historic tax credit labeled key to the continued growth of the Warehouse District and Downtown Peoria will be around for at least four more years.
Gov. Bruce Rauner signed the extension of the River Edge tax credit Friday afternoon in Aurora, one of the five communities alongside Peoria, Rockford, Elgin and East St. Louis that benefit from the pilot program.
Belleville News-Democrat: Softball buddies outrank residents with flooding homes
Ask the mobile home residents in Pontoon Beach what they think of patronage hiring. They have a unique perspective because in May they were flooded out of their homes in a disaster that could have been prevented.
The Metro East Sanitary District had two broken pumps out of four at a critical pump house. The repair funds were wasted on hiring former director Robert Shipley’s buddies, the Granite City mayor’s son-in-law and people to mow the lawn even through the winter.