Get the latest news from around Illinois.
Chicago Tribune: John Daley flips on soda tax, boosting repeal effort
Cook County Commissioner John Daley announced Thursday he’ll vote to repeal the controversial soda tax, dealing a serious blow to Board President Toni Preckwinkle’s attempt to keep it in place.
The change of heart by Daley, the brother of the former Chicago mayor and a longtime Preckwinkle ally, gives opponents nine votes in favor of repeal. That’s just enough to overturn the pop tax, but foes will need to round up two more votes to override a potential Preckwinkle veto.
Chicago Sun-Times: Preckwinkle unveils Cook County budget as soda tax repeal vote looms
Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle presented her budget proposal to commissioners Thursday and defended her fiscal record amid an effort to repeal a controversial tax on sweetened beverages.
A public hearing on dumping that penny-an-ounce tax is next week, but Preckwinkle, who acted as “advocate-in-chief” for the tax and county residents, told commissioners a vote to repeal isn’t just about losing revenue; it is, she said, a compromise of “our constitutional duty” to keep the county on solid financial footing.
Chicago Tribune: Rauner unsure state has enough money to kick in for Obama center
Gov. Bruce Rauner said Thursday that it was “a wonderful honor” for Illinois to be selected as the home of the Obama Presidential Center, but raised doubts about whether the state could afford to kick in tax dollars to help pay for construction of the site on the South Side.
The Republican governor’s comments come after Democratic legislative leaders suggested revisiting plans to use taxpayer dollars to help reconfigure roads around the center being built in Jackson Park.
State Journal-Register: Illinois Bicentennial celebration needs $4 million to $6 million, director says
Illinois has received “significant commitments” of private funding for the state’s 200th birthday celebration, the head of the Illinois Bicentennial Commission said Thursday.
At the same time, Stuart Layne, the commission’s executive director, acknowledged that trying to raise $4 million to $6 million for the celebration that hits high gear next year is a challenge.
Chicago Sun-Times: Emanuel, Rauner will hold Amazon pep rally Monday
More than 600 movers and shakers have signed on to be part of a committee created to promote Chicago’s bid for Amazon’s second North American headquarters.
Now, they’re being invited to a pep rally — minus the pompoms.
Chicago Tribune: Emanuel's plan to lower city borrowing costs advances despite aldermanic concerns
A panel of Chicago aldermen on Thursday advanced Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s debt restructuring plan despite concerns from some that they don’t know enough about how it will work or how much it will actually save.
The City Council Finance Committee spent several hours grilling Emanuel’s chief operating officer, Carole Brown, about the particulars of the new “securitization” structure, which the state authorized earlier this year. If the city enacts the new setup, a portion of the city’s share of state sales taxes would go directly to the borrowing structure. That would allow the city to get lower interest rates for bonds backed by the structure, according to Emanuel.
Daily Southtown: Contractor paid thousands in kickbacks to suburban Cook County mayor, complaint states
A south suburban construction company president has been charged in a criminal complaint with bribery for allegedly giving kickbacks to a local mayor, federal court records show.
Authorities on Thursday unveiled a criminal complaint against Michael Jarigese, president of Tower Contracting. The complaint identifies the suburban mayor as “Public Official A.” Prosecutors wouldn’t confirm the mayor’s identity but sources including Jarigese’s attorney, Ken Cunniff, told the Tribune former Markham Mayor David Webb is the mayor referenced in the complaint. Cunniff also denied the bribery allegations.
Daily Southtown: Lincoln-Way schools chief responds to criticism of District 210; public asks for his removal
Countering public criticism for Lincoln-Way High School District 210’s recent financial woes, Superintendent Scott Tingley opened Thursday night’s board meeting with a defense of his past decisions and touted his administration’s current fiscal course.
Tingley also separated himself from Lincoln-Way’s decision to withhold from the public an independent financial firm’s 2014 report that included a dire five-year financial projection for the district. He also accepted responsibility for presenting a balanced budget in June 2014, shortly after PMA Financial predicted the district would be $8 million in the red and out of cash reserves by summer 2016.
Chicago Tribune: CPS finalizes revised budget with more money for charters
Independently operated charter schools would get an additional $37 million from Chicago Public Schools under a revised 2018 district budget the school board will consider later this month.
The added money is a result of the state education funding law that was enacted after the city’s school board approved a $5.7 billion operating budget in late August. With the new funding formula in place, district officials are finalizing an updated spending plan that will be the subject of public hearings Tuesday.
Chicago Tribune: Did Ald. Austin take license giving son latest city gig?
Chicago aldermen rarely get angrier than when their own flesh and blood face scrutiny from City Hall’s inspector general.
After an internal investigation forced her son Kenny to quit his job with the city last year, Ald. Carrie Austin — one of Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s most important City Council allies — cussed like she was the mayor himself.
Northwest Herald: McHenry County Board Chairman Jack Franks: Members will support resolution to cut pensions
McHenry County Board Chairman Jack Franks is confident his resolution to eliminate pensions for countywide elected officials will pick up steam despite the proposal failing to gain support at the committee level this week.
“It doesn’t mean much,” Franks said. “I believe the majority of the County Board is with me on this.”
Daily Herald: Short-term rental ban upheld in Vernon Hills
Vernon Hills trustees have upheld a zoning rule prohibiting short-term rentals in residential areas.
Village officials first discussed such rentals, such as those advertised on www.airbnb, in July 2016 but opted not to change the restriction. The matter resurfaced after officials became aware a home in the upscale Gregg’s Landing subdivision had been advertised and used as a short-term rental.
Peoria Journal-Star: Peoria Portillo’s might hinge on approval of special tax
Sometime next week, Portillo’s is expected to make an official announcement regarding its proposed new restaurant in Peoria.
The impending arrival in 2018 of the Chicago-style fast-food giant might be one of the worst-kept secrets in Peoria history. But there is nothing secretive about a request from the Portillo’s developer for a special tax to be assessed on the restaurant’s sales.
Belleville News-Democrat: Lawyers get $1.4 million, ‘injured’ homeowners get $33
The stereotype in Madison County was of a steelworker’s kid who spent summers working at Granite City Steel until he finished law school. There was a respect for the mill that fed them and all those asbestos cases that came flooding through Madison County Circuit Court pretty much left the steel businesses in Granite City alone.
Apparently times have changed, maybe because the mill is no longer feeding those legal eaglets.