Get the latest news from around Illinois.
Chicago Sun-Times: Pritzker budget to boost education, use marijuana money, freeze income tax
In his first budget address, Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker plans to pitch an “austere” spending blueprint with no increase in the state income tax rate, a bump in education funding and new revenue from business licenses he hopes the state will create to sell recreational marijuana.
Pritzker told the Chicago Sun-Times he will also push for taxes on e-cigarettes and vaping, and for the legalization of sports betting to help bring in more money for state government.
State Journal-Register: Pritzker wins one but miffs Republicans
Gov. JB Pritzker walked away with his first major victory of the legislative session, getting the minimum wage bill that he wanted and will be able to sign before his budget speech on Wednesday.
How long the hard feelings from Republicans will last is another question.
Chicago Tribune: Alarmed by cancer-causing ethylene oxide pollution, Gov. J.B. Pritzker orders shutdown of Sterigenics in Willowbrook
Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s administration on Friday banned Sterigenics from using ethylene oxide at its Willowbrook sterilization plant, responding to an intense public outcry about toxic air pollution that left surrounding neighborhoods with some of the highest cancer risks in the nation.
Pritzker, the state’s new Democratic governor, ordered the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency to step in a week after the Trump administration told residents it still didn’t have enough evidence to take action against the Oak Brook-based company, which is owned in part by a private equity fund co-founded by former Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner.
Rockford Register-Star: Minimum wage increase affects Boys & Girls Club, Rockford Park District
Low-wage workers are about to get raises: Gov. J. B. Pritzker is expected to sign a minimum wage increase into law this week. The measure was passed by the General Assembly last week, largely on party lines, with majority Democrats voting yes and minority Republicans voting no.
Illinois is no outlier: The Land of Lincoln is among 21 states and the District of Columbia that will raise minimum wages in 2019.
Rockford Register-Star: Illinois college enrollment declines show little sign of subsiding
Historically low unemployment rates, a shrinking population, funding instability and increased competition from other states have resulted in widespread enrollment declines at most Illinois colleges.
Few schools have welcomed more students than previous years while many saw their fall enrollments go down from year to year, some dramatically, forcing institutions of higher learning across the state to slash faculty and programs as they struggle to adopt new business models in hopes of rebuilding student bodies.
Northwest Herald: New bill would strip McHenry County Board members' health benefits to pay for chairman's staff
A new bill proposed in Springfield would strip health benefits from McHenry County Board members and create a pool of money for the board chairman to pay for his staff, state Rep. David McSweeney said.
That’s one of the provisions of House Bill 3317, proposed legislation the Barrington Hills Republican filed Friday.
Decatur Herald & Review: Macon County, Decatur officials await internet sales tax totals
Macon County and Decatur leaders are still waiting to find out how much money they’ll get from a new sales tax on online purchases, more than four months after the state began collecting it.
Municipalities for years have complained about lost sales tax revenue as shoppers bypassed physical stores for online buying. That meant less money for road repairs, salaries and new equipment.