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Daily Herald: Rauner says he'll order state lawmakers to stop handling tax appeals
Gov. Bruce Rauner called on legislators to prevent state lawmakers from receiving income from property tax appeals, promising an executive order to fix what he called the “unfair property tax system in the state of Illinois.”
At an event at the South suburban Country Club Hills city hall Thursday, Rauner heard Illinois residents who complained of exorbitant property taxes that cause many to struggle to remain in their homes.
Chicago Tribune: Chicago made Amazon’s short list. There’s still plenty of competition.
Amazon’s list of 20 potential sites for HQ2, its second headquarters, didn’t overlook any obvious contenders, including Chicago. A few dark horses made the cut too.
Who’s the real competition for Chicago?
Chicago Tribune: Even after tax hike, Illinois education board wants double the money
The Illinois State Board of Education wants an extra $7.5 billion to pay for schools across the state — an amount that would nearly double what it received last year.
Even the board’s top financial official noted that a request for $15.7 billion far outweighs how much money the state has for its next budget.
Daily Southtown: Ex-Markham mayor pleads guilty to $300,000 bribery scheme, may go to prison
Former Markham Mayor David Webb pleaded guilty Thursday to his role in an alleged $300,000 bribery scheme.
As part of a deal with federal prosecutors, Webb pleaded guilty to honest services wire fraud and filing a false tax return. He has not been sentenced, but the charges could mean prison time and fines.
Chicago Tribune: City Colleges to provide counselors to help CPS with new graduation requirement
The City Colleges of Chicago will offer seven staff members to help Chicago high schools comply with a new requirement that students have a job lined up or get accepted into a college or the military before they can graduate.
Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Chicago Public Schools CEO Janice Jackson acknowledged on Thursday that more than a dozen high schools don’t have sufficient counselors on hand to follow through on the requirement, which Emanuel’s administration unveiled last year and takes effect with the Class of 2020.
WBEZ: Sheriff Offers To Help Review Police Shootings In Suburban Cook County
Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart has offered to help local police chiefs review whether or not an officer should have opened fire.
The move is in response to an investigation by WBEZ and the Better Government Association that found not a single officer was disciplined, fired, or criminally charged in more than 113 police shootings in suburban Cook County since 2005.
Northwest Herald: Surveillance footage shows Algonquin Township clerk riffling through records with Fox River Grove official
After hidden camera footage surfaced of Algonquin Township Clerk Karen Lukasik and a friend thumbing through records after hours, one township trustee is calling for the clerk to step down.
A 15-minute video with enhanced audio obtained by the Northwest Herald shows Lukasik and Fox River Grove Trustee Jennifer Curtiss riffling through records inside Supervisor Charles Lutzow’s office.
Northwest Herald: Tentative settlement in Cary-Grove student's lawsuit against District 155 is pending board approval
Community High School District 155 officials are nearing a settlement with a Cary-Grove High School student who filed a federal lawsuit against the district after he was suspended for using a smartphone to take video of Cary’s mayor speaking at the school.
Cary-Grove senior Matthew Ahmann alleges that administrators discouraged him from speaking before Mayor Mark Kownick visited one of his classes to give a speech, and they later suspended him for posting recordings of the mayor’s speech online.
Daily Herald: Kane clerk says his office can handle Aurora elections for less money
Kane County Clerk Jack Cunningham told officials Thursday he can run Aurora elections for less than half the cost per vote than residents pay now. But at least one county board member — an Aurora Democrat — still has concerns about the county’s ability to take on Aurora’s voting needs without sacrificing quality or busting the county’s budget.
Aurora voters will see a question on the March ballot asking if they want to abolish the Aurora Election Commission. Aurora residents who live in Kane County pay taxes to the commission as well as taxes to the county to fund elections. They use the election commission only on voting day.
Peoria Journal-Star: Former manager of Peoria County’s lead program guilty of misconduct
Jurors took about two hours Thursday to find the former head of Peoria County’s lead hazard program guilty of official misconduct for steering grant money toward his now-wife’s rental home nearly seven years ago.
Dale E. Clarkson faces up to five years in prison when he’s sentenced on March 7 by Circuit Judge Kevin Lyons, though a maximum sentence is highly unlikely. He also faces a term of probation of up to 30 months.
Bloomington Pantagraph: Normal to cut 20 jobs, programs for $4.25M deficit
About 20 Normal employees can expect to lose their jobs this year, and some programs, including recycling drop-off sites, will be eliminated as well.
Town officials plan to cut the equivalent of 20 full-time positions, a $2.3 million savings, effective April 1 as part of wide-ranging budget cuts discussed at the City Council’s annual budget work session Thursday. The town is looking at a $4.25 million annual gap in is $102.5 million budget.
Champaign News-Gazette: Parking deck covering costs, but not bonds that built it
More than eight years after opening, downtown’s Hill Street Parking Deck is consistently making enough money to cover operating expenses, though not enough to cover annual bond payments.
In the last fiscal year, the 600-space parking garage brought in $371,000, with operating expenses of $253,000.
State Journal-Register: Springfield dine-in tax off the table for now
Restaurant owners flocked to the Springfield City Council chamber Thursday to express their opposition to a 2 percent dine-in tax that had been privately discussed by some aldermen.
But before their seats were warm, Ward 1 Ald. Chuck Redpath cleared the air. He had the business owners who were concerned about the tax raise their hands. More than a dozen hands went up.