Get the latest news from around Illinois.
Chicago Sun-Times: Illinois Senate President John Cullerton to retire after decade as Dem leader
Illinois Senate President John Cullerton on Thursday told his Democratic colleagues that he plans to retire in January.
Senate Democrats said Cullerton, 71, made the bombshell announcement during a Senate Democratic caucus on Thursday, the final day of the veto session.
WBEZ: A criminal probe into ComEd is rattling Illinois politics. Here’s what you need to know.
The federal criminal probe into Commonwealth Edison is one of the most aggressive anti-corruption efforts to permeate Illinois politics in a generation.
Exhibit No. 1 is the middle-of-the-day FBI and IRS raid of Democratic state Sen. Martin Sandoval’s office in the Illinois Capitol in late September. Investigators sought information about four unidentified officials at Exelon, ComEd’s parent company, and documents pertaining to utility rate hikes.
Chicago Tribune: To pay for new union contracts, Lightfoot, CPS relying on duct tape — and risky assumptions about the future
Mayor Lori Lightfoot and Chicago Public Schools leaders have come up with enough cash to pay for the first year of new union contracts, relying on a couple of one-time windfalls to patch up the spending plan.
But for the next four years, they’re taking a bit of a leap by counting on money that’s not guaranteed to materialize. The district is banking on the state to keep its pledge to increase school funding, which can change year to year. CPS also is relying on its own ability to significantly raise property taxes, which assumes a healthy economy.
Chicago Tribune: Illinois Senate passes public safety pension consolidation plan, giving Gov. J.B. Pritzker a big fall session win
The Illinois Senate overwhelmingly approved Thursday Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s plan to consolidate 650 downstate and suburban police and fire pension funds, delivering the first-term governor his top priority of the fall veto session.
The bill, which now heads to Pritzker’s desk, would pool the funds from hundreds of downstate public safety pension funds into two statewide funds. The funds — one for police and one for firefighters – would be combined for investment purposes but remain in separate accounts within the larger funds.
WBEZ: Cook County Board’s Tobolski quits committees amid federal corruption probe
Facing federal scrutiny, Cook County Commissioner Jeffrey Tobolski has quit leadership roles on various government committees after Board President Toni Preckwinkle asked for his immediate resignation.
The Democrat from tiny south suburban McCook, where he’s also the mayor, had his village hall raided by the FBI in late September. Agents sought any records on heating and air conditioning at Tobolski’s home, according to court documents obtained by WBEZ.
Chicago Sun-Times: Property tax shell game
Suburban businessmen linked to Ald. Carrie Austin and a federal investigation didn’t pay taxes on properties for years, then bought up $861,000 of their own tax debts — for $26,000.
Chicago Tribune: Chicago Teachers Union begins voting on tentative contract deal that ended ‘historic’ strike, but some details still unresolved
Voting is underway to determine if the Chicago Teachers Union will accept the tentative contract deal that ended the teachers strike two weeks ago.
The ratification balloting begins as the union president said the labor organization is gearing up for future fights, such as what he claimed were Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s plans to announce a round of school closings.
Chicago Tribune: Amid federal corruption investigation, Illinois lawmakers propose new disclosures for lobbyists, public officials
The Illinois legislature on Thursday approved what lawmakers on both sides of the aisle described as a small step toward fixing the state’s governmentethics laws amid an ongoing federal public corruption probe that has ensnared politicians from Chicago City Hall to the Capitol in Springfield.
With bipartisan votes in both chambers, lawmakers approved a measure that would require state lobbyists to disclose more information to the public and create a combined online database for information on lobbyists, campaign contributions and public officials’ annual statements of economic interest. A companion measure lawmakers also approved would create a 16-member commission to recommend additional changes to ethics laws.
Chicago Tribune: FBI releases records from its decades-old probe of torture allegations against Chicago police Cmdr. Jon Burge
The FBI opened a civil rights investigation in the early 1990s into allegations of torture by then-Chicago police Cmdr. Jon Burge and detectives under his command, but no charges were ever brought at the time.
Those were among key details about the decades-old Burge saga buried in hundreds of pages of previously confidential documents made public Thursday by the FBI on its website.
Chicago Sun-Times: Lightfoot wants to expand Chicago Police Board powers
The Chicago Police Board is launching a nationwide search to find a permanent replacement for retiring Supt. Eddie Johnson.
The board will soon have, yet another responsibility on its hands: hearing appeals from rejected Chicago police applicants whose names have been removed from the department’s eligibility list.
Chicago Tribune: Illinois House adjourns without addressing Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s request to overhaul taxes for Chicago casino
The Illinois House adjourned for the year Thursday without taking up Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s request to overhaul state and city taxes for a proposed Chicago casino, pushing the issue off until January and leaving unanswered questions about when the long-sought casino might become a reality.
A measure was filed in the House on Thursday that represented a compromise among key lawmakers and the mayor’s and governor’s offices, but there wasn’t enough support among House Democrats to bring it to the floor for a vote.
Northwest Herald: Road District needs to rehire another fired employee, rules arbitrator
Another road district employee fired by Algonquin Township Highway Commissioner Andrew Gasser needs to be rehired, per an arbitrator’s decision released on Thursday.
The arbitrator awarded former road district foreman Derek Lee back pay and benefits lost during his time away from the road district, minus any money he received from any other employment he had during this time period. The arbitrator said he would retain jurisdiction over the case to help with implementing the award.
News-Gazette: Urbana's plan to raise food and beverage tax has some business owners feeling drained
A proposal to raise the food and beverage tax from 1.5 to 2 percent in Urbana is drawing mixed reviews from aldermen.
And two residents are also speaking out against the increase, including Matt Riggs, manager of Riggs Beer Company in southeast Urbana.
Belleville News-Democrat: Illinois police and fire pensions will be combined. What’s that mean for East St Louis?
Illinois lawmakers have sent Gov. J.B. Pritzker a measure that merges 650 local police and fire pension systems to boost investment returns and save money.
East St. Louis Mayor Robert Eastern III, whose city was nearly $4 million in pension contributions, said the bill “will be a true benefit for all parties involved.”
Chicago Sun-Times: Public pot consumption will only be allowed at dispensaries and smoke shops — dashing hopes of bars and restaurants
Pot dispensaries and special smoke shops will be the only place you can publicly consume marijuana next year under a change to state law approved by lawmakers Thursday.
After criticism from health advocates, lawmakers moved to curtail provisions in the state’s legalization law — dashing the hopes of some business owners who sought to allow pot use at their restaurants, bars and even beauty shops when adult recreational use becomes legal Jan. 1.
Associated Press: Illinois bans handcuffing, shackling of foster children
The Illinois Department of Children and Family Services banned the use of shackles and handcuffs on youths in its custody after two teenage boys were restrained while they transferred from one Chicago-area shelter to another.
The 15-year-old and 17-year-old boys were handcuffed and shackled at their ankles on Oct. 1 while being transferred separately from a Chicago shelter to another in Palatine.