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Champaign News-Gazette: Illinois' budget blues
Political posturing never gets old in our sorry state.
Gov. Bruce Rauner last week proposed a $37.6 billion spending plan for the 2018-19 fiscal year beginning July 1 that was not warmly welcomed by legislators.
Democrats, not surprisingly, rose to new rhetorical heights of outrage in denouncing Gov. Rauner’s proposal, particularly an idea he borrowed from Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigan.
Chicago Sun-Times: Madigan taps trio of women, including Bustos, to change ‘culture of politics’
Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan on Saturday announced in a letter to Democratic committeemen that a group of three key Democratic women, including Congresswoman Cheri Bustos, will lead a statewide discussion about the role of women in the Democratic party and how to “change the culture of politics.”
The letter wraps a whirlwind of a week for the speaker. It began Monday with him announcing the firing of a top aide for “inappropriate conduct” with a political consultant. It ended with an admission that he has not done enough to combat sexual harassment.
Chicago Tribune: Modern-day redlining: How banks block people of color from homeownership
Fifty years after the federal Fair Housing Act banned racial discrimination in lending, African Americans and Latinos continue to be routinely denied conventional mortgage loans at rates far higher than their white counterparts.
This modern-day redlining persisted in 61 metro areas even when controlling for applicants’ income, loan amount and neighborhood, according to millions of Home Mortgage Disclosure Act records analyzed by Reveal from The Center for Investigative Reporting.
Chicago Tribune: Google plans to expand in Chicago
Google will expand its workforce in Chicago, as part of the company’s plan to add thousands of U.S. employees this year, CEO Sundar Pichai said in a blog post Friday.
But it’s unclear exactly how many of those new jobs will be in Chicago. Pichai’s post, which followed a groundbreaking for a Google data center in Tennessee, said the company plans to invest in new or expanded offices in nine states, including Illinois.
Northwest Herald: Algonquin Township Highway Department paid more than $260K in unexplained bonuses
Prosecutors are homing in on more than $260,000 in unexplained bonuses amid a wider probe into official misconduct during Bob Miller’s time at the Algonquin Township Highway Department.
The bonuses, characterized as miscellaneous pay, have been paid to employees since May 2013, according to a Northwest Herald investigation of payroll documents obtained through the Freedom of Information Act.
Bloomington Pantagraph: Normal to vote on $47K sports complex study
Normal’s proposed $47,000 study of a potential Twin City outdoor sports complex may include public meetings and may pave the way for a management contract for such a facility.
The Normal City Council will consider Monday a contract with Florida-based Sports Facilities Advisory to carry out a study over the next three months, including meetings to kick off the study, to consult stakeholders, for strategic planning and to deliver results.
State Journal-Register: Airbnb popularity growing; Springfield to take its piece with new tax
Because of the increased presence of online short-term rental companies like Airbnb (pronounced “air b and b”) in Springfield, the city decided to impose on them the same 7 percent bed tax the city’s hotels and motels pay. Last month, aldermen unanimously approved the tax.
Ward 6 Ald. Kristin DiCenso, who sponsored the ordinance, pointed to other communities around the country applying local taxes to Airbnb.