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State Journal-Register: Executive Mansion utility costs all Rauner said they were and more
During his budget speech in February, Gov. Bruce Rauner decided to use himself to drive home a point about fiscal responsibility.
He said taxpayers expect state officials to be good fiscal stewards who will be accountable for how tax dollars get spent. He contended some state bills get paid automatically with little or no thought about containing costs.
Chicago Tribune: Relieved that strike is over, U. of I. grad workers overwhelmingly approve proposed contract
Not many of Michelle Chan’s co-workers at the Urbana diner where she works know that the 26-year-old is a doctoral student. And most customers don’t know that while juggling dinner plates, Chan is also quietly juggling dissertation duties.
The financial stress of being a graduate student at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign was a large part of Chan’s decision to take a leave of absence from the school in January. Some family members back in New York urgently needed financial help, and she needed flexibility. Even though she taught three classes as a graduate teaching assistant and tutored, she simply was not making enough, she said.
Chicago Sun-Times: Circuit Court Clerk Dorothy Brown wants accusers prosecuted for lying to feds
Cook County Circuit Court Clerk Dorothy Brown wants the people “whose lies started” a federal investigation into her office prosecuted for lying to the feds.
She also says they should be “made to pay back the thousands of taxpayers’ dollars wasted on these false allegations.”
Northwest Herald: Former McHenry County auditor says McClellan fired employee as retaliation
McHenry County Clerk and judicial candidate Mary McClellan has denied claims that she fired an employee – the sister of former County Auditor Pam Palmer – after Palmer refused to pay for what she described as personal gifts for McClellan’s staff.
Linda Gieseke was fired Jan. 27, 2017, less than two hours after her sister rejected McClellan’s expense request for more than $600 worth of fleece jackets the county clerk had ordered for her staff, Palmer said.
Bloomington Pantagraph: Aldermen look at potential cuts
As the City Council looks for ways to trim a budget deficit and fund capital projects, members are considering whether to look at the nearly $5 million the city donates to community needs and programs.
Ideas discussed Saturday during a budget workshop included fundraisers and community service programs that ranges from mental health services to the Route 66 visitors center.