Get the latest news from around Illinois.
Chicago Sun-Times: Pritzker’s budget message: Pass graduated income tax or lose $1.4B for schools, health care, public safety
For nearly two years during his campaign for governor, J.B. Pritzker pointed the finger at then Gov. Bruce Rauner for holding the state’s budget hostage for the Republican’s “Turnaround Agenda.”
Now, the Democratic governor is doing a turnaround of his own — and Republicans are accusing him of taking a my-way-or-the-highway approach.
The Center Square: Pritzker proposes $42 billion spending plan, including $1.4 billion ‘in reserve’ pending graduated income tax vote
Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s budget plan hinges on voters approving a progressive income tax in November to increase state revenue by $1.4 billion for the second part of the coming fiscal year.
Pritzker’s budget proposal calls for $42 billion in state spending, an increase of 4.1 percent from the current fiscal year. About $1.4 billion of that is dependent on voters approving a proposed progressive income tax.
Crain's Chicago Business: Lightfoot's revised gambling pitch envisions $1.2B in revenue for city casino
A Lightfoot administration document obtained by Crain’s lays out the details of the mayor’s latest proposal to salvage the idea of a city casino that would create a steady revenue stream to replenish underfunded public employee pensions—an ambition that fizzled out during the General Assembly’s veto session last year.
WBEZ: ‘It’s a fixed cost. That’s all I ask’: A politician’s pitch for campaign cash
When an FBI raid targeted his company’s county commissioner last year, southwest suburban factory owner Zach Mottl was “ecstatic.”
“I felt like the house fell on the wicked witch,” Mottl said. “That’s what I felt like. And we were free. The munchkins were free.”
Chicago Tribune: Former Chicago police Superintendent Eddie Johnson due a monthly pension of nearly $16,000 despite early dismissal
Eddie Johnson was unceremoniously fired in December before his planned retirement from his post as Chicago’s top cop, but he still stands to bring in a hefty pension, records show.
Johnson, 59, was fired by Mayor Lori Lightfoot, who said her then-police superintendent had lied to her after a late weeknight out last fall when he was found asleep in his city-issued SUV near his South Side home. But even though the dismissal meant he was not allowed to leave on his own schedule, Johnson’s pension will entitle him to a six-figure income each year for the rest of his life, city records show.
Rockford Register Star: Rockford lawmakers put brakes on Gas Station Attendant Act
Drivers in Illinois would no longer be able to pump their own gas if a bill introduced in Springfield becomes law.
Under House Bill 4571, otherwise known as the Gas Station Attendant Act, only dedicated employees would be allowed to pump gas at filling stations in the state. If approved, the measure would go into effect Jan. 1.
Chicago Tribune: Mayor Lori Lightfoot aims to tighten Chicago’s tax collection for online booze, water sales
Mayor Lori Lightfoot is cracking down on the online sale of alcohol and bottled water to make sure Chicagoans who get those beverages shipped to their homes and businesses pay the same amount of tax as people who buy them in stores in the city.
Lightfoot introduced an ordinance Wednesday clarifying that liquor and water wholesalers are required to collect applicable taxes when they sell “to a purchaser for use or consumption in the city and not for resale.”
WBEZ: Police board defies Lightfoot, refuses to explain why it didn’t fire sergeant who shot unarmed autistic teen
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot is calling on the city’s Police Board to explain its decision to keep Sgt. Khalil Muhammad on the force despite finding that his off-duty shooting of an unarmed teenager with autism had no lawful justification.
But the Police Board is refusing to clarify the reasons for its decision to suspend Muhammad rather than fire him — a decision blasted by police-accountability advocates. A board official says the law does not allow board members to talk about it.
Chicago Sun-Times: Ald. Reilly proposes crackdown on ‘street harassment’
Walking down the street in the downtown area can be downright abusive, but not for long if local Ald. Brendan Reilly (42nd) has anything to say about it.
At Wednesday’s City Council meeting, Reilly introduced what he called a “street harassment ordinance” that would make it a crime to verbally harass another person walking down the street.
Chicago Sun-Times: City Council approves crackdown on ride-hailing impersonators
Spurred by a rash of recent attacks on intoxicated passengers, the City Council agreed Wednesday to crack down on those who impersonate ride-hailing drivers as its sponsor moved to make those penalties even tougher.
Downtown Ald. Brendan Reilly (42nd) wants to strengthen his just-approved ordinance by empowering police to impound the vehicles used by ride-hailing impersonators.
Daily Herald: Elk Grove Village annexation dispute will carry on after term limits vote
Resolution of a yearlong annexation dispute that’s spilled over into the campaign to impose term limits on Elk Grove Village leaders will have to wait until after the March 17 primary election.
Attorneys for the village and George Gullo Development Corp. appeared in court Wednesday morning, when they set an April 30 date to present oral arguments to a Cook County judge.
The Center Square: Illinois bill to require electric car charging outlets in homes moves forward
Illinois lawmakers moved forward Tuesday with legislation that would require high-voltage outlets to be installed in most new construction, renovations, and a significant portion of all parking garages to allow for electric car charging.
House Bill 4284 is similar to a mandate in California. It requires any new residential construction to have a dedicated circuit that runs to the garage or all parking spaces to make it “electric vehicle ready.”
News-Gazette: Champaign council delays vote on new smarts sensors over privacy concerns
Citing privacy concerns, the Champaign City Council decided to wait for further information before voting on a proposal from the UI to add six “smart sensors” around the city.
The sensors would detect air quality and noise levels, but also use cameras to measure traffic and pedestrian counts, raising questions from several council members about how that video would be handled.
Daily Herald: Costco getting $5.5 million tax rebate to build second store in Naperville
Naperville City Council members want a second Costco in town enough to pay $5.5 million for it in the form of sales tax incentives.
The council unanimously approved a deal Tuesday night that Costco says will allow the retailer to buy 18.5 acres at the high-vacancy Ogden Mall, tear down several existing businesses and then build and profitably operate a new store.