Get the latest news from around Illinois.
Chicago Tribune: Do the Democrats in Springfield really need a bargain?
For almost two years, we’ve heard a litany of excuses for why Illinois does not have a state budget.
Rauner is holding the budget hostage for his extreme agenda!
Reuters: Illinois comptroller stops payments for governor's computer modernization
Illinois’ state comptroller has suspended $27 million in payments for a computer technology initiative launched by Republican Governor Bruce Rauner, according to a letter seen by Reuters, opening a new front in an ongoing feud over finances.
The move by Democratic Comptroller Susana Mendoza targets one of the governor’s priorities and comes as Illinois faces a record $12.3 billion backlog of unpaid bills that has more than tripled in the 21 months the state has gone without a full operating budget.
Quincy Herald-Whig: Rauner denies he halted budget 'grand bargain,' lauds Phibro growth during Quincy visit
Calling Illinois the transportation hub of America, Gov. Bruce Rauner said the state has underinvested in its infrastructure.
“It has also not expanded to keep up with the rest of the economic growth across America,” he said. “We need to do a big infrastructure bill. I’m going to be pushing to get a balanced budget and do a major infrastructure investment program, so we can be investing in the rail system, the roads and the locks and dams here in Western Illinois, but all across the state.”
Fox Illinois: Gov. Rauner Continues to push for Turnaround Reforms
Governor Bruce Rauner was in Quincy Monday, again pushing for the turnaround reforms he’s been pursuing for two years now.
The Governor’s push comes after the Senate’s Grand Bargain was halted because republicans pulled their support.
Chicago Tribune: Salvaging a Senate compromise: Can pension reform and CPS funding coexist?
Almost halfway through their spring session, lawmakers are off to a choppy, unproductive start. Hope for a broad compromise moving through the Senate seems dimmer than ever with Democrats doubling down on their frustration with Gov. Bruce Rauner. They have been lambasting Rauner’s hand-picked state agency heads for offering no cost-cutting ideas during budget hearings.
If Rauner expects the legislature to do the cutting for him, he’ll be waiting a long time. Not going to happen, especially after Rauner helped stall the compromise resolution that had been moving through the Senate. Rauner and conservative groups said the package didn’t go far enough to protect taxpayers.
State Journal-Register: Rauner’s office blames Mendoza for Well’s Center’s decision to close
Aides to Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner are blaming Democratic Comptroller Susana Mendoza for failing to ease some of the financial stress on a Jacksonville drug-abuse treatment agency caught in the political crossfire of Illinois’ budget crisis.
Wells Center, a 49-year-old organization at 1300 Lincoln Ave., announced last week that it plans to close the first week of April because of chronic delays in state payments during the 20-month budget standoff between the governor and the Democratic-controlled General Assembly.
Chicago Tribune: New Illinois $15 minimum wage bill reopens wage fight
A new bill to raise the Illinois minimum wage to $15 an hour is expected to be introduced in the state House this week as Democratic representatives revive a push they had largely abandoned over the past several years.
State Rep. Will Guzzardi, D-Chicago, who plans to be the lead sponsor of the legislation, hopes Illinois follows the lead of California and New York, which last year approved laws to advance toward $15 amid growing support across the country for boosting the incomes of the lowest-paid workers. Seventeen other states began this year with minimum wage hikes of varying degrees.
Chicago Sun-Times: BGA goes back to court to gain access to Emanuel’s private emails
The massive document dump that saw Mayor Rahm Emanuel release 2,700 of his private emails after trying to conceal them wasn’t enough to satisfy the Better Government Association.
On Monday, the BGA asked Circuit Court Judge Sophia Hall to re-open the group’s settlement with the city and resolve a dispute over “more than 300” emails that may have been “improperly withheld” by the city when the marathon lawsuit was dropped.
DNA Info: Union Tells Teachers: Protest Cuts By Refusing To Work Extra Hours
Students who rely on getting a little extra help from their teachers after school might be out of luck next week.
Chicago Teachers Union said Monday they have urged their members to clock in and clock out precisely on time March 20 through March 24 to protest the financial crisis engulfing the Chicago Public Schools that may force officials to end school 20 days early to avoid running out of money.
Chicago Tribune: Nicor Gas seeks $4.79 average monthly rate hike
Nicor Gas residential customers could see their annual bills rise by an average of 8.3 percent, or $4.79 a month, in 2018 under a proposed rate hike the company is seeking to recoup higher costs.
Nicor, which is owned by Southern Co., on Friday filed for the delivery rate hike with the Illinois Commerce Commission, the state’s utility regulator.
Chicago Sun-Times: Feds’ probe of Chicago cops costs taxpayers $4.5 million — so far
Chicago taxpayers have paid $4.5 million in legal and consulting fees tied to the federal civil rights investigation triggered by the 2014 police shooting of Laquan McDonald — and the meter is still running.
The cost — up from a previous estimate of $3.8 million — is certain to rise even higher as invoices and expenses for January, February and March get submitted.
Chicago Sun-Times: Treatment-or-jail choice will help some addicts escape heroin
As a stand-alone drug-fighting policy, “lock ’em up” has failed. Since 1999, the number of fatal illegal-drug overdoses has nearly tripled in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
To help turn those numbers around, the Chicago Police Department has taken a wise step in the right direction with a unique drug diversion program that gives heroin addicts a choice when they are arrested: jail — or treatment. It’s a program the city should scale up, and other local police agencies should hurry to implement as well.
Belleville News-Democrat: Overcrowding, signs of leaks and broken cell doors plague St. Clair County Jail
Inside of the St. Clair County Jail, there are cracks in the walls and brown spots on ceiling tiles show signs of previous leaks. There are cell gates that don’t properly lock and easily slide open allowing someone inside the cell to walk right out.
The infirmary is overcrowded and some of the inmates have to sleep on the floor.