Get the latest news from around Illinois.
Champaign News-Gazette: Survey: Lawmakers mixed on sports gambling in Illinois
If Lou Lang moves fast, it might be a mere matter of weeks before the Skokie state representative has a sports wagering bill ready for inspection by his fellow legislators.
And how long could it be until Illinoisans are able to walk into their friendly neighborhood tavern and legally lay down a few bucks on a certain Big Ten basketball team to win that night’s game by a certain number of points?
WBEZ: Elgin Teachers Roundly Reject Novel Contract
Teachers in Illinois’ second largest school district rejected a proposed labor contract that would have moved the district away from the traditional teacher salary model in favor of a more flexible pay structure that would have allowed ambitious teachers to advance more quickly to top salaries.
Bloomington Pantagraph: Downtown doldrums: Longtime business owners tired of waiting for city's core to take off
Some downtown Bloomington business owners say they’ve been waiting 30 years or more for revitalization of the city’s core to happen.
But with Bloomington-based insurance giant State Farm closing and selling its former headquarters building, their patience is wearing thin.
Decatur Herald & Review: Dock decision: Decatur Park District, city rethinking Lakeshore Landing feature
While city and Decatur Park District leaders have spent millions of dollars ticking off big items from the Nelson Park lakefront development plan, one key aspect isn’t moving forward anytime soon: uniform, upgraded docks for private boat clubs.
“Given the city and park district’s financial position, demand needs to prompt the investment,” City Manager Tim Gleason said. “We are not in a position to take a ‘build it and they will come’ approach.”
State Journal-Register: Plan for Springfield casino floated again, but won’t be part of expansion this year
A Springfield lobbyist and developer is once again promoting the idea of a casino for downtown Springfield coupled with video gaming positions that would be permanently located at the state fairgrounds.
But while a House subcommittee is scheduled to hold a hearing on a massive gambling expansion bill on Monday, Springfield won’t be part of the mix. A new gambling expansion proposal filed in the House Friday afternoon called for six new casinos in the state, but not in Springfield.
Belleville News-Democrat: SIU deserves the chainsaw if Edwardsville discrimination continues
Local state representatives are obviously and justly irate with the Southern Illinois University trustees for failing to do the fair thing and shift $5.1 million from the shrinking Carbondale campus to the growing Edwardsville campus, but there may be compromise in the middle of their cries for secession.
It appears they are playing a version of Let’s Make A Deal with three doors.
The Southern: SIUC's rising tuition likely among primary causes of enrollment decline, but it's complicated
Gone are the days when a $55 scholarship could cover one term’s tuition at Southern Illinois University Carbondale.
Believe it or not, that was the case in 1959, when Yvonne Anton won such a scholarship from the SIU Women’s Club, according to a March 2018 newsletter from the group.