Get the latest news from around Illinois.
Chicago Tribune: Illinois Senate narrowly votes to raise age to buy cigarettes to 21, in one of many votes to override Gov. Bruce Rauner
Illinois moved closer to raising the minimum age to buy cigarettes, vaping devices and other tobacco products to 21 after the state Senate on Wednesday voted to override Gov. Bruce Rauner’s veto of the plan.
The Senate’s move was one vote in a parade of rebukes of the outgoing governor, with lawmakers voting to override Rauner more than three dozen times, eight days after he lost his re-election bid to Democrat J.B. Pritzker.
WBEZ: Grand Jury Subpoenas Rauner’s Office, Top Agencies In Legionnaires’ Probe
A downstate grand jury has subpoenaed records from Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner’s office and at least two more state agencies as part of a criminal investigation into fatal Legionnaires’ disease outbreaks at the Quincy veterans’ home, WBEZ learned Wednesday.
Rauner’s administration surrendered copies of the Adams County grand jury subpoenas in response to a series of open-records requests.
Chicago Tribune: Chicago alderman wants to ban menthol cigarettes in latest City Hall move against tobacco
Mayor Rahm Emanuel has been trying to tighten the screws on tobacco and vaping companies selling candy-flavored products he says get kids addicted to nicotine, and now an alderman has proposed banning the sale of menthol cigarettes in Chicago.
With the federal government considering its own menthol ban, Southwest Side Ald. Raymond Lopez, 15th, said menthol smokes are especially addictive and appealing to young people. He said they’ve long been a problem in minority neighborhoods, as he can personally attest.
Chicago Tribune: Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel's 2019 budget sails through City Council
Mayor Rahm Emanuel had no problem getting the City Council’s overwhelming majority Wednesday in passing his election-year budget, even as aldermen face the prospect of much tougher financial decisions after he leaves office.
The $8.9 billion 2019 package included no vote on new tax or fee hikes, music to the ears of the council members who will be up for re-election in February and don’t want to give opponents that cudgel as they try to defend their seats.
WBEZ: Chicago City Council Approves Modest First Reforms On Ticketing And Debt
The Chicago City Council on Wednesday approved the first reforms aimed at helping the city’s low-income motorists cope with ticket debt, with more significant changes potentially on the way.
The approved measures, tucked into Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s final city budget, chip away at a massive problem that has exploded during his tenure: debt and bankruptcies concentrated in black neighborhoods.
Crain's Chicago Business: Our houses are selling faster each year
The time it takes to sell a Chicago-area house has been getting shorter each year, thanks to both a slim inventory for buyers to choose from and rising interest rates, according to data pulled by a northwest suburban real estate executive.
In the 12 months ending Nov. 1, single-family houses that sold had been on the market 84 days on average, according to data compiled by Paul Wells, owner of Re/Max of Barrington. That’s down 6 percent from the previous 12 months and down more than 14 percent from five years ago.
Chicago Tribune: 'Little baby casinos': Huge growth in video gambling boosts Illinois gaming revenue to record levels, but at what cost?
Full meals used to be on the menu at La Cabana Mexican Restaurant in Melrose Park, but now the small storefront sells only steak tacos. These days, many people come not to eat, but to gamble.
Customers will typically spend two to four hours at a time at one of the video poker or slot machines at the strip mall business along Mannheim Road, and will often drop around $400, said operator Juventina Mesa, adding gambling now makes up the bulk of her receipts.
Chicago Tribune: CTA riders catch a break — no fare hikes, service cuts for 2019
The CTA’s board on Wednesday unanimously passed the agency’s 2019 budget with no fare hikes or service cuts, though the agency continues to complain of limitations imposed by an ongoing shortfall in state funding.
Next year’s budget includes $1.6 billion for operations, and a five-year, $2.9 billion capital improvement plan for facilities, stations and equipment.
Chicago Tribune: Teachers at Acero charter schools in Chicago call for Dec. 4 strike if no deal on new contract
Teachers at a group of charter schools in Chicago say they’ll go on strike next month if their demands for a new contract aren’t met, setting a date for what could be the latest in a string of job actions that have disrupted classrooms in several states this year.
The Acero charter school network, which serves about 7,500 predominantly Latino students at 15 campuses, has so far failed to negotiate a labor deal with roughly 500 teachers, counselors and office workers who are now affiliated with the Chicago Teachers Union.
Northwest Herald: Local 150 labor union lambastes Algonquin Township highway commissioner
Spotting one 15-foot-tall inflatable rat at a union protest in McHenry County would be a rare sighting.
On Wednesday night, lined along the stretch of Route 14 in front of the Algonquin Township Highway Department, there were 10.
Northwest Herald: McHenry County Board adopts spending plan with $9.8M in tax cuts
The McHenry County Board has passed a fiscal 2019 budget that includes more than $9.8 million in tax cuts.
Of that amount, $7.53 million comes from abatements and $2.3 million comes from permanent reductions in the county’s property tax levy.
Northwest Herald: Woodstock School District 200 Board votes to keep property tax levy flat
The Woodstock School District 200 Board voted this week to keep its 2018 property tax levy flat.
Members officially are expected to vote on the levy Dec. 11, but they voted this week to levy $56.7 million. A homeowner with a $200,000 home could see a decrease of $192 toward District 200 taxes if the value of his or her home does not increase, according to a news release from the district.
Daily Herald: St. Charles proposes first tax levy increase in 9 years
St. Charles could raise its property tax levy for the first time in nine years, though city officials say they are committed to maintaining the existing tax rate.
The city plans to take advantage of an estimated 4 percent growth in taxable property value by proportionately increasing the 2018 operating levy, Finance Director Chris Minick said. The move would put extra money in the city’s coffers each year while keeping the tax rate steady at roughly 85 cents per $100 of equalized assessed value.
Rockford Register-Star: Voters throughout Winnebago County want one election authority. Now what?
A majority of voters who cast ballots in a Nov. 6 advisory referendum indicated that they want Rockford and Winnebago County to consolidate their election offices.
Political candidates of all stripes have for years have campaigned for seats on the County Board and Rockford City Council stating a desire to consolidate the two election authorities.