Get the latest news from around Illinois.
Champaign News-Gazette: House Democrats just going through motions on tax plan
Television advertisements running across Illinois foreshadow a war over the income tax that has not yet been formally declared.
Pro-progressive-income-tax Think Big Illinois and anti-progressive-income-tax Ideas Illinois are throwing roundhouse punches over a proposed state constitutional amendment expected to be on the November 2020 ballot.
State Journal-Register: Pritzker defends tax increases for capital bill
Gov. J.B. Pritzker Wednesday defended his proposed tax increases to pay for a capital bill against critics who said they will disproportionately hurt the poor.
Pritzker acknowledged some of the proposed taxes might be considered regressive, but he said they also represent a stable source of income.
Chicago Tribune: Chicago slips on population but is still third-largest city in U.S. — for now
The majority of municipalities in the Chicago region, including the city itself, lost population last year, according to newly released estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau, part of a familiar trend of overall stagnation and decline among Midwestern cities.
Though Chicago remains the third-largest city in the United States, behind New York and Los Angeles, fourth-place Houston continued to close the gap, moving to within 380,492 residents of Chicago. After losing an estimated 7,073 people from 2017 to 2018, Chicago stands at just over 2.7 million residents, according to the new census data. Houston, the biggest city in Texas, gained 8,057 last year and now has more than 2.3 million.
Chicago Tribune: Mayor Lori Lightfoot will replace entire Chicago school board
Newly inaugurated Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, who endorsed an elected school board on the campaign trail, announced Wednesday she will overhaul the seven-member board of education.
The announcement came less than an hour after Board President Frank Clark told fellow board members at their regular monthly meeting that he is stepping down.
WTTW Chicago Tonight: CTU Prepares for Contract Fight with New Mayor
Chicago Public Schools students will be out for summer break in less than four weeks. But their teachers’ contract with the school district expires at the end of next month – and this year they’ll be negotiating with a new mayor.
Chicago Teachers Union members held a rally in the Loop on Wednesday afternoon, calling on Mayor Lori Lightfoot to make good on promises for educational equity. The union says Lightfoot ran on a platform that mirrors that of CTU – though the union endorsed Lightfoot’s opponent, Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle.
Chicago Tribune: Ethics complaint alleges Ald. Edward Burke exerted 'improper influence' on behalf of labor unions
Embattled Ald. Edward Burke allegedly violated Chicago’s ethics ordinance when he used “improper influence” on behalf of labor unions who hired his private law firm but had contracts and workers’ compensation claims approved by the City Council, according to a new complaint.
Burke already is under federal investigation and was charged in January with attempted extortion after he allegedly used his influence to steer business to his firm. Chicago’s Ethics Board slapped the 14th Ward City Council member with a $2,000 fine after he participated in a fierce committee debate over millions of dollars in tax incentives that were awarded another client.
Chicago Sun-Times: Bill to demolish part of McCormick Place along lakefront gets labor support
With just over a week to go in the spring legislative session, Chicago Federation of Labor President Bob Reiter is beating the drum for a plan to demolish the above-ground portion of Lakeside Center, the oldest McCormick Place building, and replace the lost convention space with a new building over Martin Luther King Drive.
Insiders said the partial teardown of Lakeside Center could result in additional parkland along the lakefront and that below-ground portions of the building, such as the Arie Crown Theater, could still be preserved.
Northwest Herald: 2018 property tax extensions increase for most school districts in McHenry County
For the 2018 tax year, a majority of McHenry County taxing bodies are slated to receive a boost in property tax revenue compared with 2017.
School districts saw some of the biggest growth in their total property tax extension.
Daily Herald: 'Atrocious': Des Plaines moves to revoke tax break for company
A Des Plaines company improperly took a Cook County tax break, paid nearly $170,000 less in taxes than required, illegally allowed businesses to occupy its building and installed a parking lot without permission, according to city officials.
Aldermen voted unanimously Monday to ask Cook County to revoke the 6b property tax incentive granted to Aero M & P Properties, an entity of Ampol Group International. While cities recommend approval of the tax break, which is intended to spur industrial growth, it’s the county that ultimately grants requests.
Rockford Register-Star: Report: Lack of policies, controls expose Winnebago County to fraud
Employees of Winnebago County government handle petty cash transactions differently depending on what department they work for, and the lack of a single policy applied consistently across all departments exposes the county to potential fraudulent behavior.
That’s just one of 22 problems uncovered by a consulting firm that examined the inner workings of the county’s human resources and finance departments last summer.