Get the latest news from around Illinois.
Champaign News-Gazette: Pain at the pump
Motorists, get ready — here come the tax increases.
The gasoline tax bidding war is off and running in Springfield, and, like many auctions, the bids are getting higher.
Crain's Chicago Business: Where all the tax money from recreational marijuana will go
Under the long-awaited legalization bill unveiled May 7, just 35 percent of cannabis taxes will go to the state’s general fund, and 10 percent will go to a separate budget stabilization fund. Another 25 percent will go to a grant program that aims to help communities hit hard by poverty, violence and the war on drugs; and 20 percent will go to mental health and substance-abuse treatment. The other 10 percent goes to law enforcement and drug-treatment education.
Northwest Herald: House Republicans troubled by Pritzker’s revocation of his own board appointments
House Republicans accused Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Thursday of revoking his own state board appointments as political retribution for votes he did not agree with.
“We came down here today because we think it’s important to call attention to some seemingly heavy-handed tactics that the administration has taken recently regarding some dissent,” state Rep. Tom Demmer, R-Dixon, said.
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.
Rockford Register-Star: Illinois AG probes alleged Winnebago County Board open meetings violation
The Illinois attorney general is investigating whether the Winnebago County Board ran afoul of the state Open Meetings Act earlier this month.
At issue is a May 2 combined meeting of the Finance and Operations & Administrative committees, during which members convened in closed session for what State’s Attorney Marilyn Hite Ross said was “pending litigation,” one of several exceptions to the open meetings law that requires elected officials to conduct the public’s business in public.