Illinois’ economy grew in the third quarter of 2019, but at a slower pace than the national average, something the state’s leading manufacturers’ group said was due in part to the state’s business and tax policies.

U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis gross domestic product data showed Illinois grew by 1.4 percent in the third quarter of 2019. That’s faster than Delaware, which didn’t grow at all, but much slower than Texas’ 4 percent growth. The national average was 2.1 percent.

The Illinois Supreme Court could decide if police officers can use the smell of marijuana as probable cause to search a vehicle during a traffic stop.

The state’s high court heard arguments in a case from Decatur. In that case, police pulled over a man after they thought they saw a fugitive in the vehicle. An officer said there was no fugitive, but reported smelling “raw” cannabis, which prompted a search. That search turned up crack cocaine.

Chicago taxpayers spent nearly $210 million on police and fire overtime last year — and another $33.7 million on lump-sum payments to departing employees, most of them police officers, records show.

One retiring officer walked out the door with $276,053 for stockpiled compensatory time and another $9,236 for unused vacation days.

A bill filed in Springfield could allow local libraries to get a cut of the taxes on recreational cannabis sales, but it would come at the potential expense of county-level taxes.

House Bill 4135 would allow the state’s more than 600 libraries to impose a 1 percent tax on recreational cannabis sales in their jurisdictions.

The brother of Ald. Harry Osterman (48^th) has been slapped with a five-day suspension after being accused of being AWOL from his $51.10-an-hour job at Chicago’s Department of Water Management on New Year’s Eve, then allegedly filling out a fraudulent “edit sheet” to preserve his paycheck.

Hoisting engineer Matthew Osterman was supposed to report to the North District Yard to serve as an “extra” on a leak crew repairing water main breaks. But he never showed up for work that day, sources said.

One state lawmaker has a plan to reduce political corruption in Illinois.

State Rep. John Cabello, R-Machesney Park, has filed a bill to require all elected officials in the state to wear a body camera while conducting public business.

Federal investigators are looking into the actions of Bloomingdale Township Highway Commissioner Robert Czernek, township officials confirmed Tuesday, but they remained mum about exactly what the probe entails.

Township Supervisor Michael Hovde issued a one-sentence statement saying, “The township supervisor’s office is fully cooperating with the investigation into the road district commissioner and due to the nature and stage of the investigation, no further information can be released at this time.”

McHenry County Board Chairman Jack Franks highlighted the county’s financial accomplishments in 2019 during his third State of the County address Tuesday, but said reform efforts should start with a bang in 2020.

Such reform efforts could include the elimination of mileage and health insurance benefits for McHenry County Board members, another reduction to the size of the County Board and the possibility of nonpartisan elections for County Board members.

It’s going to cost Kane County and Algonquin residents to use the Longmeadow Parkway toll bridge when it opens in 2022. It just won’t cost as much as it will for other people — unless you’re a truck driver.

The Kane County Board’s transportation committee gave preliminary approval to place a toll of 95 cents for most vehicles crossing the bridge over the Fox River. KDOT officials also unveiled a plan for the residents of Kane County and Algonquin that will give them unlimited access to the toll bridge for $200 a year.

Illinois state lawmakers and advocates are drafting a plan to help people often overlooked by the criminal justice system: The children of the incarcerated.

The Task Force on Children of Incarcerated Parents was created in 2019. It will release its report in less than six weeks. Taskforce members have been focusing on what can be done to ensure that about 200,000 children in Illinois who have parents in prison don’t suffer unnecessarily because of policies under state control.

Mayor Tom McNamara said he won’t decide whether to support a March 17 sales tax referendum for mental health services in Winnebago County until he meets with referendum supporters next week to learn how the tax would be spent if voters approve the ballot question.

A group called Citizens for a Healthy Community is urging voters to support the half-cent sales tax referendum. The committee is led by two co-chairwomen: Mary Ann Abate, a licensed social worker and retired former executive at Rosecrance Health Network, and Danielle Angileri, director of the National Alliance on Mental Illness of Northern Illinois.