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Daily Herald: Will political infighting delay Cook County property assessment appeals?
A growing annual caseload and a massive backlog of property tax assessment appeals were the reasons the Cook County Board of Review gave in asking for 11 new staff members.
However, all but one of the new hires will be assigned to the two Democrats on the three-person board, leaving Republican Commissioner Dan Patlak of Wheeling — who represents much of the Cook County suburbs — complaining he’ll remain short-handed while his colleagues create “patronage armies.”
Rockford Register-Star: Private school scholarships again up for grabs in Illinois
Year two of a controversial taxpayer-funded private school scholarship program kicks off for most families on Tuesday, and one of the most important things to know is that there is no line.
That means the nearly 5,500 students who received scholarships through Empower Illinois for the current school year have to apply again and their status as current scholarship recipients will not guarantee them funds, officials said Monday. They will be given a priority along with applications from families living at or below 185 percent of the federal poverty level ($45,510 for a family of four), those living in poorly performing school districts and siblings of those already receiving a scholarship.
Belleville News-Democrat: In his first trip as governor, Pritzker goes to SWIC to sign executive order
Gov. J.B. Pritzker showed he is remembering downstate by making a visit to Southern Illinois his first trip outside Springfield as governor.
Pritzker, of Chicago, signed an executive order on Wednesday at Southwestern Illinois College to help strengthen workforce training in the state.
Chicago Tribune: Here are the 5 ideas being proposed for O'Hare's massive expansion
Chicago officials on Thursday will unveil five striking designs for a massive expansion of O’Hare International Airport, many with swooping roofs and some with quirky features like hammocks where travelers could take a nap before flights.
The proposals from top architects for the $8.5 billion expansion, whose centerpiece will be a new global terminal that combines domestic and international flights under one roof, are all sleekly modern. Three would put naturalistic touches — clusters of trees, wood ceilings or patches of grass—inside the terminal.
Crain's Chicago Business: Why growth slowed down in million-dollar home sales
In the Chicago area, 2,694 homes sold for $1 million or more in 2018, according to data from Re/Max Premier Properties. That’s an increase of 1.4 percent, but it’s about one-seventh the growth in 2017, when luxury sales were up almost 10 percent.
Chicago Tribune: From commuter tax to city lottery, Chicago mayoral candidates disagree on ways to address city budget woes
One wants a city-run lottery. Another would tax suburbanites who work in Chicago. There’s also the possibility of the city issuing pension obligation bonds to free up billions of dollars.
A handful of Chicago mayoral candidates on Wednesday addressed how they’d grapple with staggering public pension debt the city’s new mayor will face within months of taking office this spring. While their approaches to how they might find the huge sums the city needs may differ, they agreed the problem has to be addressed head-on.
Chicago Sun-Times: Committee OKs creating task force to study city’s mental health services
Plans to establish a task force to study the state of mental health services in Chicago unanimously passed a City Council committee Wednesday to cheers from onlooking activists and mental health advocates.
The proposed Public Mental Health Clinic Service Expansion Task Force, sponsored by Ald. Sophia King (4th), would “explore re-opening of mental health clinics and identify budgetary and operational recommendations for expansion of existing facilities.
Northwest Herald: McHenry County municipalities weigh costs, benefits of providing retail incentives
As the rising tide of e-commerce threatens legacy retailers and big-box stores across the nation, local municipalities are working to lure new businesses and bolster existing establishments.
McHenry Economic Development Director Doug Martin said the city weighs the costs and benefits of providing incentives to prospective retailers that may help offset the “extraordinary” costs of moving in.
Daily Herald: Despite union concerns, District 211 ready to vote on teachers contract
Palatine-Schaumburg High School District 211 board members are scheduled to vote Thursday night on a four-year teachers contract reached last month to narrowly avert a strike, but the teachers union president said Wednesday the fine print of the document remains unsettled.
“We’re in agreement on all the big stuff, but it’s all or nothing,” said John Braglia, president of Northwest Suburban Teachers Union Local 1211. “I want it done right, cleanly, without the public having to go through this any further.”
Bloomington Pantagraph: Unit 5 OKs raises for substitute teachers
Substitute teachers at McLean County Unit 5 are getting a raise.
The school board voted Wednesday to raise their daily pay rate with the goal of bringing in more substitutes and encouraging those the Normal-based district already has to work more days.