Get the latest news from around Illinois.
Belleville News-Democrat: Rauner says budget cuts are coming. But he won’t say where.
Gov. Bruce Rauner says the spending plan he will present during his budget address next month will be balanced, but would include spending cuts.
Rauner, who spoke with reporters after meeting with small business owners at the Edwardsville Public Safety Building, said he would not give specifics about possible cuts in the 2018-19 budget.
Chicago Tribune: UIC breaks ground on $100 million academic, residential complex
The University of Illinois at Chicago has broken ground on a $100 million academic and residential complex.
The groundbreaking ceremony was held Tuesday for the 10-story tower that’s part of a public-private partnership with Austin, Texas-based American Campus Communities. School officials say it’s being financed primarily through tax-exempt bonds. The university says the new complex will help meet infrastructure needs as enrollment increases.
Chicago Tribune: Google's art selfies aren't available in Illinois. Here's why.
The Google Arts & Culture app’s new feature seems to be everywhere as social media streams are flooded with photos of friends and the great works of art that resemble them — that is, nearly everywhere but Illinois.
The state is one of two in the country where the Google app’s art selfie feature — which matches users’ uploaded selfies with portraits or faces depicted in works of art — is not available. Google won’t say why. But it’s likely because Illinois has one of the nation’s most strict laws on the use of biometrics, which include facial, fingerprint and iris scans.
Daily Herald: Did Cook County's failed soda tax cause sales taxes to fizzle, too?
Cook County’s short-lived penny-per-ounce tax on sweetened beverages not only failed to bring in as much revenue as projected, but it might also have cost the county millions in sales tax revenue as consumers crossed county and state lines to buy their groceries.
In a revenue report released ahead of today’s county board meeting, receipts from the first three months of the ill-fated tax show it generated $46.4 million. That’s less than the $55 million the tax initially was expected to raise during those three months, though projections later were revised to $49.8 million.
Chicago Sun-Times: Five-year trade union contract teed up for final City Council vote
A five-year contract that guarantees labor peace with 21 percent of the city’s workforce through the 2019 mayoral election is poised for City Council approval Wednesday after an easy ratification vote in committee.
The City Council’s Committee on Workforce Development approved the agreement Tuesday after a direct introduction into the committee chaired by Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s floor leader.
Northwest Herald: Metra fares to increase Feb. 1 to close $45 million funding gap
The fare increase that Metra officials voted on in November will go into effect Feb. 1.
As part of the commuter rail system’s $797.2 million operating budget for 2018, several fare increases are about to take effect, according to a news release from Metra.
Northwest Herald: Algonquin Township fires Ryan Provenzano as chief of staff
Ryan Provenzano, a political insider who earned more than $33 an hour in two Algonquin Township offices, has been fired.
Township Supervisor Charles Lutzow terminated his 23-year-old chief of staff Tuesday morning and banned him from the premises.
Daily Herald: Who needs village hall? Long Grove board to meet at brewery
With Buffalo Creek Brewing as the venue, Long Grove officials are hoping to draw a good crowd for the return of an annual meeting of the village board and homeowners association presidents.
Village President Bill Jacob, who took over the top post after an uncontested election in 2017, said he had a goal of restarting the session with the subdivision leaders, so they can learn firsthand about what’s happening in town, ask questions and voice concerns.
Daily Herald: Carpentersville approves separation deal with village manager
The Carpentersville village board Tuesday night approved a separation agreement with Village Manager Mark Rooney, who has served in the position for more than seven years.
Village officials did not immediately release the details of the agreement, and Village President John Skillman declined to comment. The unanimous vote came after a nearly hourlong discussion in closed session, in addition to a two-hour closed session during a Jan. 6 special meeting. The measure was not discussed in open session.
Rockford Register-Star: Rockford takes a step closer to business, pawn shop fee increases
Aldermen on Tuesday night voted to have city staff further develop several proposals from a resident-run financial task force meant to help the city confront a brewing financial crisis.
The task force of residents, financial experts, union and business representatives worked for months to come up with 75 suggestions for the City Council on how to reduce what is expected to be a $10.5 million budget deficit if nothing changes.
State Journal-Register: Mayor breaks tie on $1.1 million TIF fund request for historic restoration project
Mayor Jim Langfelder provided the tie-breaking vote at Tuesday’s city council meeting to give $1.1 million more in tax-increment financing funds to a historic restoration project in downtown Springfield.
Aldermen were split 5-5 on whether to give developer Rick Lawrence the financing he needed to move forward with the sale of historic and new market tax credits and bank loans. The project, which encompasses the Ferguson, Booth and Bateman-Kennedy buildings at Sixth and Monroe streets, would have 20 apartments, office space, a restaurant and a possible convenience store when complete. Prior to Lawrence’s interest, a majority of the building space had sat vacant for 10 years and was a popular roost for pigeons.
Belleville News-Democrat: Resources for local 4-H shrink as St. Clair County eliminates funding
There’s an organization whose motto is “To make the best better,” where kids can learn to do anything from raising hogs to decorating cakes, but some local funding for that organization has dried up.
The historic organization is known as 4-H and has several clubs in St. Clair, Monroe and Madison counties. But St. Clair County eliminated funding this year for the local University of Illinois Extension program, which administers 4-H.