Get the latest news from around Illinois.
Chicago Tribune: Illinois lawmakers get closer to avoiding another long showdown as Senate advances budget
Lawmakers on Wednesday pushed forward with a state spending plan as Democrats who control the General Assembly and Republicans allied with Gov. Bruce Rauner continued to project optimism that they’d meet a Thursday deadline and avoid another lengthy budget fight.
The $38.5 billion plan takes advantage of several billion dollars in extra money brought about by the controversial income tax hike that was enacted last summer over Rauner’s veto. It was hailed as evidence of sustained and determined bipartisan cooperation that hadn’t been seen in the budget-making process since the governor took office in 2015.
Associated Press: Illinois House sends governor bill raising teacher salaries
The Illinois House has sent the governor a measure raising public school teacher salaries to a minimum of $40,000 a year.
The House voted 65-47 Wednesday to increase minimum full-time teacher salaries over the next five years. Rep. Christian Mitchell is the sponsor. The Chicago Democrat says the measure is a way to attract and keep more teachers in a state that’s facing a growing shortage. He adds that teachers in southern Illinois have masters’ degrees but still receive poverty wages.
Associated Press: Lawmakers OK graduate research assistant unions
The Illinois House has sent the governor legislation expanding graduate student unions to include research assistants.
The 66-49 vote Wednesday followed heated discussion on whether research counts as work. State law allows students who work as teaching assistants to unionize but not those who work as research assistants.
Chicago Tribune: Food truck case against Chicago heads to state Supreme Court
A food truck owner who has argued for years that Chicago’s restrictions on mobile food vendors are too strict has won a chance to plead her case in front of the state’s highest court.
The Illinois Supreme Court on Wednesday agreed to hear the case of LMP Services Inc. versus the city of Chicago. LMP does business as the Cupcakes for Courage food truck. Owner Laura Pekarik first brought a lawsuit against the city in 2012, months after Chicago’s food truck regulations were introduced.
Crain's Chicago Business: Chicago attracting more young, well-off residents
If you think you’ve been seeing a lot more bright young people living in Chicago lately, you have.
Between 2010 and 2016, the city of Chicago gained more households in a key category—total income of more than $100,000 with the head of household under age 45—than any city in the country except for far larger New York, according to newly analyzed U.S. Census Bureau data.
Chicago Tribune: Amid dispute, SIU leaders resist lawmakers' reform efforts
Forced to respond to escalating tensions between their two campuses, Southern Illinois University leaders are pushing back against attempts by the state legislature to drastically change how their system operates.
Leaders and officials at Carbondale and Edwardsville have been locked in a bitter battle over funding for several weeks following a failed attempt by Edwardsville leaders in April to grab a larger share of Southern Illinois’ annual state funding. The fallout prompted politicians loyal to Edwardsville to go the legislative route to try to split the campuses, appoint new board members, revamp how to divvy up state allocations and push the Illinois Board of Higher Education to weigh in.
Northwest Herald: Paving magnate resists sharing study conducted for Algonquin Township highway commissioner
A mysterious road report completed for Algonquin Township Highway Commissioner Andrew Gasser after he won election but before he took the oath of office has raised questions among fellow township officials about why he will not share its contents with the public.
“When he talks about transparency, and then we find out he’s got these secret dealings going on, it’s problematic,” Trustee Dave Chapman said. “If it wasn’t vindictive, then Andrew should have made this public.”
The Southern: Illinois' housing agency extends hand to help Cairo develop 'realistic housing goals'
Illinois’ housing agency is providing robust technical assistance to help the city of Cairo identify local housing needs, and develop a plan “to achieve its vision of growth over the long term.”
“IHDA’s community revitalization specialists will be meeting with Cairo officials, educational institutions, local businesses and other stakeholders to strategize future planning and investment for the city,” said Andrew Field, a spokesman for the Illinois Housing Development Authority, in a statement.