Get the latest news from around Illinois.
Chicago Sun-Times: Lawsuit seeks to reveal ‘full truth’ on sex harassment in Madigan organization
What did Mike Madigan know and when did he know it?
That’s what lawyers said Thursday they hope to learn through a federal lawsuit filed by a former campaign aide whose allegations of unwanted attention and harassment led the powerful House speaker to oust a longtime political operative.
Chicago Sun-Times: Rauner administration again puts disputed state workers pay raise on ice
The pay raises and backpay that a judge ordered the administration of Governor Bruce Rauner to begin paying by March 21 to thousands of home caregivers employed by the state are again in limbo.
Rauner administration attorneys plan to appeal the order and on Friday — five days before the March 21 deadline — they filed paperwork seeking to postpone payments during the appeal process.
State Journal-Register: Illinois Supreme Court won’t take up Rauner’s appeal of step pay case
The state appears to be on the hook for step pay raises for thousands of unionized state workers because of an Illinois Supreme Court decision this week.
The state’s high court said it will not take up an attempt by the Rauner administration to continue withholding step pay increases from workers who are supposed to receive them.
Crain's Chicago Business: What Amazon's team saw and did in Chicago
Amazon’s reconnaissance team did a little bit of everything during its two-day tour of Chicago, from visits to vacant sites that require some imagination to a boat ride en route to see two of the city’s gems.
They got an up-close look at what the company would get if it picks Chicago for what Amazon is calling a second headquarters that could grow to 50,000 workers over the next 10 to 15 years. The city’s political and tech leaders did their best to wow them, despite plenty of distractions in the background.
Daily Herald: Bartlett approves sales tax, plans to drop utility tax
Bartlett trustees approved a 1 percent home-rule sales tax by a 4-1 vote this week and plan to follow through with a promised elimination April 3 of the village’s utility taxes.
The tax swap is expected to bring a net increase of $1 million to the 2018-19 budget, preventing a deficit without dipping into reserves.
Belleville News-Democrat: Poverty, broken families make county one of unhealthiest
St. Clair County is one of the unhealthiest counties in Illinois, ranking 91st out of 102. That is especially sobering when you compare it to neighboring Madison County, which ranked 70th with a nearly identical population and similar demographics.
Median household income is $50,000 in St. Clair County and $4,500 higher in Madison. They are about 2 percentage points apart in poverty, with St. Clair County higher at 15.4 percent. They are within seven-tenths of a percentage point for those with no health insurance, at 6.3 percent in St. Clair County.