Get the latest news from around Illinois.
Chicago Sun-Times: FBI investigating engagement ring given to ex-Gov. Pat Quinn’s press secretary
A diamond engagement ring that former Gov. Pat Quinn’s campaign manager bought for Quinn’s press secretary has become part of the federal investigation that’s resulted in extortion charges against longtime Chicago Teamsters boss John Coli Sr., the Chicago Sun-Times has learned.
The FBI is trying to determine who paid for the ring, which former Quinn press secretary Brooke Anderson got nearly four years ago from her husband Lou Bertuca, the governor’s 2014 campaign manager.
Northwest Herald: Illinois lawmakers at odds over proposed capital bill
House Democrats advanced a $2.44 billion plan Thursday proposing a motor fuel tax increase, vehicle registrations and fees to pay for state transportation infrastructure improvements.
It is the “beginning of a dialogue” for how to fund road, bridge and mass transit projects, said state Rep. Mike Zalewski, D-Riverside, who is sponsoring the bill.
Champaign News-Gazette: Promised tax cuts for poor, middle class mostly illusory
On primary election night in March 2018, Democratic gubernatorial nominee J.B. Pritzker stood before cheering throngs and laid out a series of campaign pledges to his supporters.
Among them was the following:
“Let’s institute a progressive income tax, so we can lower the tax burden on the middle class and those striving to get there.”
Associated Press: Illinois revenue bump spurs debate over Pritzker tax hikes
The terms “Illinois budget” and “extra revenue” are rarely heard in the same sentence. But now that they are, “spending agreement” is the elusive terminology.
Lawmakers and Gov. J.B. Pritzker learned this past week that the state’s income tax take in April was a stunning $4 billion, 38% more than the year before and some $1.5 billion more than projected.
State Journal-Register: Carlinville students spur legislation to end daylight saving time
Carlinville High School senior Andrew DeNeve always told his parents that if he ran for president, the first issue he would tackle would be getting rid of daylight saving time.
Of course, DeNeve isn’t running for office anytime soon, but his idea has made it to the Illinois Statehouse, in the form of a bill being sponsored by state Sen. Andy Manar, D-Bunker Hill.
Chicago Sun-Times: Tired of waiting, City Council elders moving to reorganize themselves
With no clear signal from Mayor-elect Lori Lightfoot, the City Council’s most senior aldermen are working to reorganize themselves with a lineup that includes Ald. Tom Tunney (44th) as Finance Committee chairman, a veteran alderman said Friday.
Lightfoot spent three days in Washington, D.C., this week meeting with White House officials and establishing relationships with members of Congress.
Northwest Herald: McHenry County assessment appeals decline in 2018
Property assessment appeals in McHenry County for the 2018 tax year dropped from 3,240 in 2017 to 2,632, an estimated 18.77% decrease, according to a report released each spring from the McHenry County Assessor’s Office.
Of the 17 townships in McHenry County, Richmond was the only one that had an increase in appeals in 2018, going from 52 in 2017 to 59.
Decatur Herald & Review: Decatur collected $6 million from video gambling. One city official says 'this is not what we bargained for.'
It’s been almost seven years since Illinois’ first legalized video gambling machines went online, and since then, the city of Decatur has collected more than $6 million in tax revenue for its general fund. The proliferation has not gone unnoticed by city officials.
“It’s an entirely different business than what the city council thought it was going to be,” said Mayor Julie Moore Wolfe. “… (The machines) have been showing up in lots of places we didn’t expect them to show up. This is not what we bargained for.”