Get the latest news from around Illinois.
Chicago Tribune: New state lawmakers to be sworn in Wednesday. Some big names are out, but the biggest remain.
The new class of Illinois lawmakers will be sworn into office Wednesday, giving Democrats big majorities in both the House and Senate that could help Gov.-elect J.B. Pritzker enact his agenda if they go along.
The last two years of partisan fights, budget wars and tough elections have fueled significant turnover: About 30 percent of the lawmakers who take the oath will be different from the person who sat in the same seat two years ago.
Chicago Tribune: After 4-year political war, House Speaker Michael Madigan calls Gov. Bruce Rauner's term an 'epic struggle'
Days before he leaves office, Gov. Bruce Rauner on Tuesday again renewed his calls for lawmakers to approve his agenda, minutes after his chief political nemesis, House Speaker Michael Madigan, referred to the governor’s term as an “epic struggle.”
Democratic Gov.-elect J.B. Pritzker takes office Monday, and Rauner is set to deliver to lawmakers in the coming days a report on his accomplishments and hopes for the future. On Tuesday he said it would include some of his original plans from when he first took office in 2015, even though the new legislature will be controlled by the same Democrats who largely blocked his agenda for four years.
State Journal-Register: Rauner calls education achievements most important of administration
In his final time taking questions from the media, Gov. Bruce Rauner said Tuesday that his top achievement in office was improving K-12 education.
During the lengthy session with reporters, Rauner also said he was frustrated he could not get stronger ethics regulations in place for the legislature and that his parting recommendations to lawmakers will be to enact the “turnaround agenda” that he proposed at the outset of his term.
Champaign News-Gazette: A tall task for the Illinois Department of Corrections
Legal challenges have put a spotlight on the need for improved physical and mental care for inmates, but finding the professionals to get the job done has been difficult.
Pending litigation in Illinois’ federal courts demonstrates the serious responsibility and the high cost the state bears in providing health care to prison inmates.
Lawyers for the state’s roughly 40,000 inmates recently announced they have reached an out-of-court lawsuit settlement that calls for a new program to provide improved health care to inmates. The agreement, which must be approved by a Chicago federal judge, provides for a court-appointed monitor to oversee a remake of the Department of Corrections’ health care system.
Chicago Tribune: Lincoln Yards plan will scrap 20,000-seat stadium, Live Nation entertainment district
One of the most ambitious real estate projects ever planned on Chicago’s North Side is about to undergo sweeping changes after developer Sterling Bay on Tuesday confirmed Lincoln Yards no longer will include a 20,000-seat stadium for a soccer team owned by Cubs owner Tom Ricketts and an entertainment district with venues run by Live Nation Entertainment.
Ald. Brian Hopkins, 2nd, on Tuesday emailed constituents to say he told Sterling Bay, the Chicago developer behind the proposed 70-acre, $5 billion-plus mixed-use project, that he does not support the proposed sports and entertainment venues. Hopkins wants the space that would have been used for a stadium to instead become open recreational space.
Crain's Chicago Business: Pat who? The man running the Finance Committee in a post-Burke world
Like Ford succeeding Nixon, or Michael Bilandic taking over for Richard J. Daley, the 40th Ward politico who has been Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s City Council floor leader is a less-colorful, less-Machiavellian operator than Ed Burke, whom he’s replacing as chairman of the Finance Committee. But he’s a crafty, seasoned one nonetheless.
Daily Herald: Elk Grove mayor calls Bahamas Bowl sponsorship a success but will decide next month on doing it again
Businesses from as far as Houston and New York City have contacted Elk Grove Village as they consider expanding their company operations — a tangible result from the village’s sponsorship last month of a college football bowl game.
But village officials also said Tuesday they’re awaiting additional data before deciding whether to re-up for another $300,000 to sponsor the game again next December.
Northwest Herald: Algonquin Township board to revisit rejected road district bills
The Algonquin Township board will meet Wednesday night to audit bills and discuss rolling out a biannual newsletter for residents.
The meeting agenda includes an audit of township and road district bills – a pillar of drama at the board’s meeting in December, when trustees rejected about $168,000 in lawyer bills and equipment purchases Highway Commissioner Andrew Gasser submitted for approval.
Peoria Journal-Star: Peoria council questions city proposal on video gaming fees
City Council members had plenty of questions about a proposal to increase fees on video gaming machines within Peoria.
5th District Councilman Denis Cyr criticized the proposed increase, which would double fees from $500 to $1,000 for each machine, noting the $500 fee is already double what is charged in Joliet and Springfield.
State Journal-Register: Aldermen fast-track $1.2 million for new fire engines to save $73K
Springfield aldermen are weighing whether to spend $1.2 million to buy two new fire engines before the next budget year starts in March so the city can get a reduced price.
During Tuesday’s Springfield City Council Committee of the Whole meeting, council members forwarded ordinances that would put the purchases up for a final vote.