Get the latest news from around Illinois.
BND: Local school leaders think cursive should be taught. But they don’t want unfunded mandate.
In preparation for Mother’s Day, third-graders at Roosevelt Elementary School recently learned how to write a few of the capital cursive letters that they’ll need for poems for their moms, including “H” and “M.”
But beyond a handwritten message, their teacher, Shelly Schaefer, said practicing cursive writing in elementary school will be valuable later in life.
“They’re going to need it to be able to sign their name on a check or any official documents, so that’s important,” Schaefer said. “… Also, all of our historical documents are written in cursive, so they need to be able to read it.”
Northwest Herald: Board: Illinois coliseum repairs could cost up to $4M
Extensive repairs to the deteriorating Illinois State Fair Coliseum could take millions of dollars and two years, according to an agency that oversees state buildings.
The Capital Development Board’s conclusion was found in an emergency, $600,000 contract to enclose a short-term facility used to host horse shows and other events affected by the coliseum’s shutdown in October, The (Springfield) State Journal-Register reported.
WBEZ: A Bid For Blagojevich To Return To Springfield
The official portrait of Pat Quinn, the former governor of Illinois, was unveiled this week at the state Capitol in Springfield. There was a little more attention to the ritual this time because Pat Quinn is the first governor of Illinois in a while who hasn’t left office and gone to prison.
Four of the state’s last nine governors have been sent to prison. Illinois’ unofficial motto may be, “A State So Great, The Governor Makes Your License Plate.”
Chicago Sun-Times: Emanuel: Racist Water Dept. emails ‘contradictory to who we are’
After firing the city Department of Water Management Commissioner for not disciplining an employee who sent racist emails, Mayor Rahm Emanuel said Saturday morning those messages “do not express the values of the city.”
Emanuel fired Water Management Commissioner Barrett Murphy on Friday after he failed to take action against a subordinate who sent the emails.
Crain's Chicago Business: This South Loop school fight is a classic
One of the great Chicago success stories in the past couple of decades has been the rebirth of the Near South Side. What was a mass of empty lots, decaying storefronts and urban blight has become a home to colleges, parks, thriving retail and thousands of upscale housing units—with plenty more on the way.
Growth invariably causes pain, though. Which leads to a classic Chicago tale of money, racial differences, influence and political intrigue. In this case, it also leads to this question: Whose school ought to get built, and whose school pushed aside and perhaps demolished?
Chicago Tribune: Spate of store closures puts a wrinkle in summer jobs for teens
A summer spent folding and refolding sweaters at the mall was once a teen rite of passage. But as the end of the school year nears, young people hoping to find summer retail jobs must contend with a wave of shuttered storefronts and an industry in revolt.
Fourteen retail chains filed for bankruptcy protection through early April, nearly as many as filed all of last year, and a barrage of stores where young faces often greet customers — Wet Seal, The Limited, RadioShack, Rue 21, Payless Shoe Source, American Apparel, Abercromie & Fitch — have announced mass store closures.
Chicago Sun-Times: A look inside the watch list Chicago police fought to keep secret
As Chicago endured a devastating surge in gun violence last summer, scores of people with long rap sheets stood atop the Chicago Police Department’s secret watch list, newly obtained records show.
One of the men had been arrested 12 times for violent crimes, all before turning 20. He’d also been charged with illegal gun possession. Two others each had been arrested eight times for violent crimes and caught three times with guns. Another man had been busted three times for illegal guns, racked up four arrests for violent offenses and been shot twice.
State Journal-Register: Aldermen to consider simplifying development approval process
Concern is growing over proposed changes to how the city of Springfield approves development of new apartments, shopping plazas and offices.
A measure before the Springfield City Council would increase the size of projects that require council sign-off, meaning that smaller projects that don’t need rezoning could skip council review. All projects would still have to meet building and zoning standards.