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State Journal-Register: Could Madigan bring movement to budget situation?
It doesn’t make sense to meet when you have zip to show for it, so it’s understandable why Rauner on Wednesday called off the meetings, saying he would schedule the next one when Democrats are prepared to present a budget proposal. But the knowledge that the five people who hammer out a budget deal were at least getting together almost daily provided a shred of hope that perhaps maturity could prevail and a budget would materialize.
Instead, there are no meetings for the foreseeable future, the rhetoric and blame games will be ramped up, and every day the clock tick-tocks closer to Dec. 31 and the insecurity that waits.
But hope springs eternal, and we see Rauner’s action as an opportunity for House Speaker Michael Madigan to provide something he hasn’t yet: A plan on how Democrats intend to improve the state’s finances.
The Southern: Budget uncertainty begins anew for universities
While students at Illinois’ public universities are busy cramming for final exams, campus leaders are facing tests of their own.
They’re being forced once again to put plans in place for operating without state funding after going nearly the entire 2015-16 school year without receiving any support amid the ongoing budget standoff between Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner and the Democratic leaders of the General Assembly.
News-Gazette: UI seems to be in a pinch
Everyone’s heard the big picture — a $190 million budget hole over two years, faculty flight, no pay raises, pension uncertainties.
But what has the state budget crisis meant on the ground level at the University of Illinois, for professors, students and employees?
Belleville News-Democrat: Illinois’ political games on budget may be wrecking young lives
Idle hands are the devil’s workshop, and the devil may well be a killer.
Our Illinois neighbors in Chicago are in the midst of the deadliest year in decades — more than 700 homicides were tallied with a month to go. Some have asked whether this record year is tied to the Illinois budget impasse, and the fact that nearly 1 million folks are not getting the state services they would have gotten because two-thirds of mental health, substance abuse and youth services have been cut by agencies that have gone without state money.
State Journal-Register: State of Illinois' woes loom large for local fundraisers
Fundraising campaigns for Springfield’s Salvation Army and Friend-in-Deed charity may be sagging because of anxiety associated with the ongoing state budget crisis and a potential strike among state workers, officials from the charities say.
“It can definitely affect us,” Capt. Joshua Stansbury, administrator of the Salvation Army’s Springfield corps, said of the 2016 Tree of Lights campaign, which is almost 30 percent behind the pace of last year’s collections.
State Journal-Register: Implications of 'lockbox' amendment still being examined
It was popular with lawmakers who voted to put it on the November ballot, and it was popular with voters who overwhelmingly approved it.
Now, both proponents and opponents are wondering if the so-called Safe Roads Amendment to the Illinois Constitution — also referred to as the “lockbox” amendment — could carry with it some unintended consequences. The amendment essentially says that transportation-related taxes and fees should only be used for transportation-related purposes.
Greg Hinz: Look who wants to be our next Democratic governor
Now that U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin has decided to stay in Washington, Illinois Democrats finally have come to the realization that, to unseat the hated Gov. Bruce Rauner, they’re going to need a candidate to run against him.
The last couple of weeks have been abuzz with Democrats from Cairo to Waukegan suddenly strutting their stuff, waving their checkbooks and leaking tidbits to friendly media. If anything there are too many candidates, but, hey, you can’t beat somebody with nobody.
Crain's Chicago Business: Airbnb is banned from more and more Chicago condo buildings
As City Hall gets ready to enforce its new home-sharing regulations, the supply of Airbnb’s most important raw material—homes—is shrinking, and fast.
So far, 901 residential buildings with 88,993 units have placed themselves on a list of properties off-limits to Airbnb and other home-sharing websites, according to the Chicago Department of Business Affairs & Consumer Protection. Many of them are in neighborhoods that are popular on Airbnb, the leader of a nascent industry that’s disrupting the hotel market, rankling condominium boards and attracting the scrutiny of government officials across the country.
Associated Press: Report: Illinois Lottery didn't pay major scratch-off wins
The Illinois Lottery collected hundreds of millions of dollars in instant ticket sales during a roughly five-year period, but didn’t hand out many of the cash grand prizes, according to a newspaper report.
Lottery officials didn’t hand out 23 grand prizes for the largest scratch-off games starting from 2011 – more than 40 percent of what was designed into the games, The Chicago Tribune reported in its weekend editions. One of those games, called The Good Life, offered $46 million in installments to two winners. Tickets were $30 apiece and millions were sold, but the game ended before the top prize was awarded.