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Chicago Tribune: Reversing the Illinois exodus
Monday brings a new year but not a clean slate for Illinois. The problems that bedevil this state persist and worsen.
None is more troubling than this: People are fleeing Illinois in record numbers. For four years running, this state has bled population. In 2017, Illinois lost a net 33,703 residents, dropping the state to 6th largest, below Pennsylvania.
Belleville News-Democrat: Making development deals with public dollars shouldn’t be like playing Jenga
When someone tries to sell you something, say a used car, and adds pressure to the mix, say a phantom buyer who wants the car you are eyeing, that is the time you should back off and make sure you are making a logical move. Panic leads to poor decisions.
So if a developer is trying to sell a city on a project and things are so twitchy that the deal will crumble if they don’t get everything they want, that is the time to go slow. If it falls apart quickly, that’s better than it falling apart later — say after you started spending public dollars and made changes that cannot be undone.
Belleville News-Democrat: Illinois governor again rejects elderly home care plan
Gov. Bruce Rauner has again vetoed plans to prevent changes his administration want to make to in-home services aimed at keeping elderly Illinois residents out of nursing homes.
The Republican issued a veto message on Friday, saying the bill would reduce the ability “to assess and serve Illinois’ elderly and persons with disabilities.”
Chicago Tribune: Emanuel's average income is $365,000 per year, 6 years of mayor's tax returns show
In his first six years in office, Mayor Rahm Emanuel made nearly $2.2 million, an average income of about $365,000 per year, according to newly released tax returns from the mayor.
About $1.1 million of Emanuel’s income has come from his $216,000-per-year salary as mayor, and he has made an additional $1 million from interest, dividends and capital gains from investments. From 2011 through 2016, Emanuel paid $433,626 in federal income taxes for an effective tax rate of nearly 20 percent, the records show.
Daily Herald: Tollway Authority responds to lawsuit that aims to stop $25 million Route 53 expansion study
The Illinois State Toll Highway Authority responded to a lawsuit filed by a group of Lake County residents who oppose the Route 53 expansion project, refuting the assertion the Tollway Authority didn’t follow state rules.
Livable Lake County’s lawsuit cites a portion of the Toll Highway Act that states that within 10 years of establishing a toll highway corridor, the Tollway Authority has to hold a public hearing to discuss the viability and feasibility of the protected corridor and then vote whether to continue it. Livable Lake County says the Tollway Authority didn’t do that.
Daily Herald: No buyers for Mundelein's former village hall
Mundelein officials have received no offers for the old village hall building since putting the Hawley Street property on the market in September.
Trustees and administrators had hoped to field proposals for the roughly 1-acre property at 440 E. Hawley St. by a Nov. 30 deadline. Although there were some inquiries, no developers pursued the site, Assistant Village Administrator Peter Vadopalas said.
State Journal-Register: Mayor chooses governor-backed park plan for YWCA block
Mayor Jim Langfelder will recommend putting a park on the vacant downtown Springfield block that once contained the YWCA.
A design proposal brought by North Mansion Y Block Development, a group backed by Gov. Bruce Rauner, was selected over two other proposals and a design concept.