Get the latest news from around Illinois.
The Center Square: Committee releases ComEd documents related to Madigan, schedules Dec. 14 hearing
Documents spanning over nearly a decade related to the ComEd bribery scheme implicating Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan have been released, and members of a committee investigating the speaker have different takes.
Since entering a deferred prosecution agreement with Commonwealth Edison, federal prosecutors have charged five people in a scheme they say lasted from 2010 through 2019 where the Exelon subsidiary paid $1.3 million in bribes to Madigan associates in an effort to influence the speaker.
State Journal-Register: Illinois to borrow $2 billion more from feds as coronavirus dents tax revenue
Illinois will borrow about $3.2 billion from the federal government to pay the state’s bills, Gov. JB Pritzker said Wednesday.
Lawmakers authorized borrowing $5 billion earlier this year as the state struggled with financial problems exacerbated by economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic.
Chicago Tribune: New cache of ComEd documents shows indicted Madigan confidant pressing utility for jobs and contracts
A cache of emails released Wednesday in the Illinois House probe of Speaker Michael Madigan provides a deeper look into how a close confidant pressed Commonwealth Edison on positions ranging from a seat on the utility’s board of directors to student internships.
The email trail buttresses federal allegations that ex-lobbyist Michael McClain pushed on Madigan’s behalf to have former McPier CEO Juan Ochoa put on ComEd’s board and highlights how 13th Ward loyalist Ed Moody, now the Cook County recorder of deeds, was shifted from one secretive contract with a lobbyist to another.
Daily Herald: DuPage County doubles gas tax
The DuPage County Board has approved a doubling of the 4-cents-per-gallon gas tax in response to revenue losses amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The new rate goes into effect July 1. The existing rate has been in place since 1989.
Chicago Sun-Times: McHenry County vows not to prosecute bars, restaurants for serving indoors — but Pritzker asks prosecutor to ‘follow the law’
McHenry County’s top prosecutor says he won’t enforce the indoor dining ban that Gov. J.B. Pritzker implemented as part of the state’s latest efforts to rein in rising coronavirus infections and deaths.
But McHenry County State’s Attorney Patrick D. Kenneally on Wednesday said he would enforce capacity limits and laws requiring patrons and employees to wear masks and social distance.
Northwest Herald: McHenry County Board passes budget, leaning on reserve funds to make up for COVID-19 revenue shortfalls
The McHenry County Board passed a flat tax levy and a budget of $208.4 million for the 2020-21 year last week, leaning on the county’s reserves to make up for a $1.38 million revenue shortfall caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
While initial projections put the pandemic’s impact on county revenue anywhere from $6.9 million to $22.1 million, the decline in sales tax revenue coming into the county was offset somewhat by a boost in online sales, according to a news release from County Board Chairman Jack Franks, D-Marengo.