Get the latest news from around Illinois.
Governing: Regardless of Illinois' Historic Budget Stalemate, Lawmakers Must Get Paid
A Cook County judge on Thursday ruled against the “no budget, no pay” policy backed by Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner and Democratic Comptroller Susana Mendoza, finding that the comptroller can’t delay lawmaker paychecks even in the midst of a historic state budget stalemate and Illinois’ pile of more than $12.8 billion in unpaid bills.
The ruling immediately became fodder for the ongoing political war in Springfield, with a top Rauner ally raising the idea of a “coordinated abuse of taxpayers” and a Democratic lawmaker saying his colleagues were no longer being held “hostage.”
Bond Buyer: Chicago CFO Tries to Calm Investors After Pension Veto
Chicago expects the veto-proof passage by early April of state legislation to save its municipal and laborers’ pension funds from insolvency, the city’s finance chief told investors Monday.
“We are pretty confident or optimistic ….we would have enough votes to override,” chief financial officer Carole Brown said in an investor call following Gov. Bruce Rauner’s Friday veto of the original legislation written to put in place revised funding formulas for two funds.
Brown highlighted the strong bipartisan votes on the original legislation and the city’s belief that the overhaul solves the pension funds’ near-term crises.
One market watcher countered that given the rising partisan tensions there’s no guarantee of future cooperation.
CBS Chicago: Thousands On Delinquent Tax List Can Lose Their Homes Next Month
Thousands of homeowners could be in jeopardy of losing their homes and they do not even know it.
Their property taxes are delinquent and in one week, they will be sold. CBS 2’s Dorothy Tucker reports.
Curtis Brown is almost in a panic to pay his property taxes.
But he just found out he is late. The taxes were due Aug. 1. He thought his mortgage company was responsible and he never received a notice. A friend just happened to see his name and address on a delinquent tax list.
Curbed Chicago: The cities that Chicagoans are moving to
It’s no secret that Illinois residents are leaving the state in droves—new data from the US Census Bureau shows that Illinois and Cook County are losing more residents than any other state and metro region in the country. While the significance and potential effects of the numbers can be debated, there’s a pretty clear trend of where Chicagoans are relocating to: the South.
According to a recent report from self storage marketplace SpareFoot in coordination with Moving.com, new data suggests that Chicagoans are migrating to warmer cities throughout the southern United States. The report highlights the 20 most popular routes from users who planned long distance moves through Moving.com last year. And according to the results, four southern cities—Phoenix, Los Angeles, Atlanta, and Dallas—have been witnessing an influx of ex-Chicagoans while Chicago has been a popular destination for folks leaving the Los Angeles area.
Chicago Tribune: Democratic governor hopefuls unified on Rauner attacks, divided on need for self-funding challenger
One by one, six men who are running for Illinois governor or thinking about it addressed Cook County Democratic committeemen Monday, seeking early support and offering a unified message aimed at removing Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner from office next year.
But beneath their individual Rauner-centric attacks, support for a graduated income tax to fix Illinois’ budget woes and agreement on the need to harness the activism against President Donald Trump were clear signs of separation between some of the contenders long before county Democratic leaders consider an endorsement in August.
Chicago Sun-Times: Slamalot: Chris Kennedy disses Dems at party meet and greet
His hands shook as he spoke, and he accidentally dropped the microphone when he finished, but Chris Kennedy tried to play it cool Monday as he made his pitch to Cook County Democratic leaders, downplaying — and even joking about — the value of their endorsement in the governor’s race.
“Slating? I don’t know. Is this like the Town and Country Restaurant? I mean, what are we talking about here in the back room of a restaurant?” Kennedy said. “If you think the people of the United States would put up with that, it’s not going to happen. It ain’t going to happen. I love you all. I mean no disrespect.”
Associated Press: Campaign donation limits lifted in Illinois governor’s race
The limits are lifted on spending in next year’s Illinois governor’s race after Democratic businessman Chris Kennedy put more than $250,000 into his campaign fund.
The move signals another big spending campaign among incumbent Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner and Democrats challenging him. Illinois law says standard limits on campaign donations are lifted when a candidate in a statewide race gives themselves more than $250,000. Illinois campaign disclosure records show Kennedy contributed $250,100 to his Kennedy for Illinois fund on Friday.
Chicago Tribune: Rauner wants vote on new Stevenson toll lanes, Madigan quickly pushes back
Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner Monday tried to jump-start his plan to allow private companies to build toll lanes along portions of the Stevenson Expressway, saying Democratic leaders in the General Assembly are blocking the project.
Just before the governor began speaking, Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigan pushed back against the proposed project, accusing Rauner of being out to help his “wealthy friends.”
Chicago Tribune: Rauner makes prediction on Emanuel's political future: No 4th term
Mayor Rahm Emanuel hasn’t even said for sure that he’ll seek a third term in 2019, but Gov. Bruce Rauner predicted Monday the mayor won’t be around for a fourth.
The governor’s prognostication that “the current mayor is not going to be mayor in 2023” came at an event about the stalled effort to create a toll lane on the Stevenson Expressway, as Rauner talked about his veto last week of Emanuel’s proposed changes to the city’s pension funds for municipal workers and laborers.
Chicago Tribune: Chicago State University sets stage for new leadership, but questions remain
Chicago State University trustees on Monday announced plans for sweeping leadership changes at the Far South Side school, but questions remain over who will fill key roles.
After nearly six hours of closed discussions, trustees said they will immediately begin a search for a new interim president and for someone to fill a newly created position of interim chief administrative officer. No details were given on the responsibilities of the new position or how it will fit with the interim president’s job.
Chicago Sun-Times: Emanuel proposes another crackdown on party buses
Party buses that carry at least 15 people drinking on board or making multiple bar stops would be required to install security cameras or hire more security personnel under a mayoral crackdown proposed Monday to stop the violence.
Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s get-tough plan comes two weeks after an argument aboard a party bus turned into an exchange of gunfire that killed a 28-year-old man in Edgewater and injured two others.
Chicago Sun-Times: Bill would ban new charter schools in cash-strapped districts
A Chicago legislator wants to link charter-school expansion to a school district’s ability to pay for them, an effort aimed at slowing the spread of the privately run, publicly funded schools in the city.
The bill introduced Friday by state Rep. Will Guzzardi, D-Chicago, would block the opening of any new charter campuses in any school districts with the Illinois State Board of Education’s two lowest financial ratings. The Chicago Public Schools system has been on that list for years.
Chicago Tribune: Chicago chooses vendor for massive streetlight replacement program
The city has selected a vendor team led by Ameresco, a Massachusetts-based energy efficiency company, for a project to modernize the city’s streetlight system with LED lights, city officials said Monday.
The proposed contract will be presented to the City Council on Wednesday. If approved, the $160 million, four-year project will replace 270,000 of the city’s light fixtures, starting this summer, according to a joint announcement from Mayor Rahm Emanuel, the transportation department and the Chicago Infrastructure Trust.
Chicago Sun-Times: Neighborhood Opportunity Fund to get $15.6M windfall
The fund created by Mayor Rahm Emanuel to rebuild neighborhood commercial corridors with contributions from developers allowed to build bigger and taller downtown projects is in line for a $15.6 million windfall.
The City Council’s Zoning Committee on Monday set the stage for the record contribution by approving plans for a 51-story riverfront office tower at 110 N. Wacker with 1.35 million square feet of space.
WTTW Chicago Tonight: Chicago Lawmaker Proposes Urban Agriculture Zones
A Chicago lawmaker hopes to break up food deserts and put vacant lots to use by establishing urban agriculture zones that would incentivize the sale of locally grown foods.
In February, state Rep. Sonya Harper, D-Chicago, introduced a bill that would allow counties or municipalities to create urban agriculture zones made up of organizations or individuals who grow produce or other agricultural products, raise or process livestock or poultry or sell a minimum of 75 percent locally grown food.
DNA Info: 41st Street Bridge Construction To Resume Despite Spat Between City, State
After construction for the 41st Street and Lake Shore Drive pedestrian bridge was halted, city officials are saying it’s back on.
“We hope to begin construction later this spring as had been planned, but there isn’t an official start date yet,” Michael Claffey, a spokesman for the Chicago Department of Transportation, said Monday.
Chicago Sun-Times: Pay up or let her work, lawyer for Van Dyke’s wife warns Dart
The Cook County Sheriff’s Office should allow the wife of indicted Chicago Police Officer Jason Van Dyke to start training to become a correctional officer — or offer her a financial settlement, her attorney said Monday.
Tiffany Van Dyke was scheduled to start four months of job training on March 20 at the sheriff’s academy.
Chicago Tribune: Evanston officials respond to allegations of millions in undeposited checks, cash
Evanston officials on Monday confirmed a former employee-turned-whistleblower’s account earlier this month that stacks of undeposited cash and checks totaling millions of dollars were left unsecured in a city office for more than a month, but refuted some of the details included in the allegations.
Most importantly, said aldermen and city staff, all the money was accounted for when it was finally deposited in the bank. Changes to the city’s cash-handling policy were made in July, a few months after the money was found by an independent auditor.
Rockford Register-Star: Downtown Rockford hotel vote pushed to April 10
Supporters of a downtown hotel and conference center proposal were at City Hall tonight showing their support for a project in spite of another two-week delay.
Downtown business owners, patrons, civic boosters and construction workers packed Council Chambers to watch as aldermen postponed the key vote once again. Republican Alderman Jamie Getchius described this latest hold up as procedural, the result of 10 amendments to a $64 million development deal with Gorman & Company Inc. introduced last week by Alderman Tom McNamara.
Peoria Journal-Star: Metamora compromises on scandalous sign — for now
Looks like the state won’t have to bulldoze the village’s scofflaw sign.
So far.
Belleville News-Democrat: Hamilton’s deal with feds won’t deter corruption, judge writes
A federal court judge has described former East St. Louis Township Supervisor Oliver Hamilton’s years of misusing public funds as “punching holes in a ship taking on water,” and warned that an agreed-upon sentence of a year and a day “… may not be sufficient.”
“In reality (Hamilton) … was the antithesis of Robin Hood, stealing money earmarked for the poor and keeping it for himself,” U.S. District Chief Judge Michael J. Reagan wrote in a 28-page sentencing memorandum filed Friday in federal court in East St. Louis.
Belleville News-Democrat: Seeking plain speaking from St. Clair County chairman on sales tax for safety
We and readers have been concerned about the starvation diet St. Clair County’s law enforcement efforts have been forced to endure. We all have questioned the impact of MidAmerica St. Louis Airport on the county’s finances when $81 million since 2002 was used to subsidize it at a time when the jail deteriorated and few deputies were available for patrol.
On March 4 our editorial publicly asked for a plain-language guarantee that the 1 cent sales tax increase for public safety would go to its intended uses: “Kern & Co. offer no assurances — much less anything in writing — that they will not pull some slick accounting moves or shell game to slip, slide, supplant or otherwise dodge their obligation to pass along money we already pay for law enforcement’s protections.”
NPR Illinois: Tired Of Promises, A Struggling Small Town Wants Problems Solved
At the very southernmost tip of Illinois, the pancake flat cornfields give way to the rolling, forested hills of the Delta.
Here, at the windy confluence of the Mississippi and Ohio rivers, it feels more southern than Midwest when you arrive at the old river port and factory town of Cairo, once made famous in Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.