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Chicago Tribune: What you missed in Illinois politics over Christmas vacation
Happy New Year. If you’re just getting back from some time off around the holidays, here’s a quick look at what you may have missed:
First, you didn’t miss any meetings between Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner and top Illinois Democrats to talk about the state budget. So as of Sunday, the state is once again operating without a spending plan in place.
WQAD: Smiddy says Madigan has “kinda outlived his usefulness”
If you think Illinois state government has achieved little in its last session, you’re not alone.
It’s a view shared by a lawmaker who was in Springfield during it all.
“The past two years have been a complete failure on the part of government in Illinois and I think the next two years are going to be a lot more of the same,” said outgoing Illinois Rep. Mike Smiddy (D-Hillsdale) during an interview with News 8’s Jim Mertens.
Northwest Herald: Illinois has a people problem, as in too many are leaving
The U.S. Census Bureau released new migration data on Dec. 20, and it’s frightening. Illinois has a massive people problem.
From July 2015 to July 2016, the state’s population declined by more than 37,000 people. That’s the worst population loss in the nation, and likely will mean the loss of a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. Pennsylvania, which also experienced a net population loss in the Census, now is set to overtake Illinois as the fifth-largest state. Illinois is simply sliding backward faster.
Chicago Sun-Times: Costs soar in test program to insulate historic homes near O’Hare
The city of Chicago is about to offer the owners of more than 150 “historic” homes a deal: Sign up for sound insulation to buffer your house from O’Hare Airport jet noise, and it won’t cost you a penny.
But the bill to sound-insulate a small test group of such older homes is averaging more than $101,000 per residence — four times the city’s $25,000 average for non-historic dwellings, records obtained by the Chicago Sun-Times show.
Chicago Tribune: Trump tweets Chicago might need federal help on violence
President-elect Donald Trump took to Twitter Monday to again draw attention to Chicago’s struggles with surging violent crime, this time suggesting that perhaps Mayor Rahm Emanuel should seek help from the federal government.
“Chicago murder rate is record setting — 4,331 shooting victims with 762 murders in 2016,” Trump wrote on Twitter. “If Mayor can’t do it he must ask for Federal help!”
Chicago Tribune: Chicago paid $670,000 in 2016 over lawsuits alleging open records violations
The city of Chicago paid out about $670,000 last year to plaintiffs in lawsuits alleging that officials violated open records law — nearly five times what the city paid in the previous eight years combined.
Experts and attorneys said the mounting payouts in Freedom of Information Act cases raise concerns about Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s pledge to run “the most open, accountable and transparent government that the city of Chicago has ever seen.” They said the increase may be attributable to a broader awareness of the public’s right to records spurred by high-profile cases such as the Laquan McDonald shooting.
Chicago Sun-Times: Quit kicking innocent people, once freed, to the curb
It is an embarrassment that our criminal justice system sometimes sends an innocent person to prison, often for decades.
Compounding the shame, society often fails to do right by these wrongfully convicted people in the most basic ways once they are freed. Illinois does not always provide them with even modest financial compensation, though by law it is obligated to do so. Even at a time when Illinois has big unpaid bills and no budget, this is indefensible.
State Journal-Register: Some state fair Coliseum horse shows already canceling
Dave Waggoner was wistful about moving his horse show out of the Illinois State Fairgrounds in Springfield, where it’s been held for over 30 years.
With the Coliseum shuttered and facing a nearly $3.7 million repair bill, Waggoner’s group, the Region XI Arabian Horse Championships, was offered, but declined, use of an adjoining practice arena that is roofed but open on the sides.
State Journal-Register: Autism program clients face more cutbacks connected with state funding
Finley Schroeder of Springfield has exceeded expectations in communicating with other children and adults despite the 4-year-old girl’s diagnosis of autism, her mother says.
Kristen Abbott credited an expensive treatment known as “applied behavior analysis” therapy for helping keep her daughter’s emotional and intellectual development on a relatively even keel. And Abbott is thankful the therapy has been provided at no out-of-pocket cost to her the past two years from The Autism Clinic at Hope Institute for Children and Families.
State Journal-Register: Report: State of Illinois had little oversight of lottery
The Illinois Lottery did nothing to stop a private company from pulling scratch-off game tickets from stores before all had been sold and before all the grand prizes had been awarded, according to a published report.
The Chicago Tribune reports that Michael Jones, the director of the lottery from 2011 to 2015, acknowledged that lottery officials relied on the Northstar Lottery Group to manage the lottery and depended on the company’s expertise.
Associated Press: Chicago State University facing financial distress
Chicago State University officials said the university will burn through cash reserves and eventually need to make additional cuts, according to documents sent to state officials responsible for funding.
University administrators have been trying to create a balance of acknowledging financial urgency while assuring students that the school’s future is strong, the Chicago Tribune reported.
Fox Illinois: Cloudy Outlook For Springfield Economy Without State Budget
State and city officials are saying Illinois’ budget crisis had a clear impact on Springfield’s economy.
Mayor Jim Langfelder said when there’s uncertainty at the state level, from union contracts to whether we’ll have a full state budget a lot of Springfield residents start saving their money.