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Chicago Tribune: Blagojevich, unrepentant but bruised, reflects on prison life
Federal inmate 40892-424 has his voice back.
More than five years after he went to prison for corruption, disgraced former Gov. Rod Blagojevich is speaking out for the first time since beginning his sentence.
Chicago Tribune: Why every Illinois pol should read Blagojevich's words
There was a time when Rod Blagojevich spent thousands of dollars on Oxxford suits and baby blue silk neckties. And there was a time more recently when he gave four postage stamps to a fellow prisoner in exchange for ironing his prison uniform.
The old life of Blagojevich. The new life of Blagojevich. In his first set of interviews since his incarceration more than five years ago, the defrocked governor — and his wife, Patti — talked to Chicago Magazine’s David Bernstein about life in prison and the struggles of keeping their family connected. It’s a story less about the optimistic Blagojevich who exercises and reads and works on his case, and more about the impact of his corruption convictions on those closest to him. What’s palpable is the worst price he pays for his federal felonies. Not the enduring shame. Not his lost potential. But his relationship with his family, especially his daughters.
Chicago Sun-Times: Poll: Residents not swallowing ads tying pop tax to health concerns
Cook County residents aren’t buying the argument that health concerns are behind the pop tax — but no matter the motivation, most want the tax repealed, a new poll finds.
A We Ask America poll taken Thursday and Friday targeted a flurry of advertisements that link the tax to health concerns. Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has spent $5 million on ads supporting the Cook County sweetened beverage tax — citing the health benefits of less pop sales.
Chicago Tribune: 5.4 million Illinois residents affected by massive Equifax data breach
Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan said Monday that 5.4 million Illinois residents had personal financial information exposed in the massive Equifax data breach last week.
Madigan got the Illinois number from Equifax attorneys Monday.
WTTW Chicago Tonight: Illinois OKs Ameren Plan to Lower Energy Savings Target
State regulators signed off Monday on a proposal by utility company Ameren Illinois to alter the terms of its energy savings plan set under the state’s landmark clean energy law.
With its decision, the Illinois Commerce Commission went against the recommendation of an administrative law judge who said in late August that the commission should deny Ameren’s request to lower its energy savings target. Prior to the decision, environmental and consumer advocates said residents in central and southern Illinois would pay nearly 30 percent more than projected on utility bills if the state approved the company’s plan.
Belleville News-Democrat: Maybe an Amazon Prime member can order us 50,000 jobs with free delivery
The clock is ticking toward Oct. 19 and a $5 billion prize. That’s the deadline to compete for Amazon’s HQ2 and 50,000 jobs, which would be a great fit for the metro-east and specifically for the land we pushed for the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency next to Scott Air Force Base and MidAmerica Airport.
Amazon wants a population of at least 1 million and within 30 miles of a major population center. We’re that close and the St. Louis region has about 3 million.
State Journal-Register: Video gambling continues to grow; Springfield leads Illinois with 635 terminals
Video gambling continues to set new highs five years after terminals were legalized in Illinois, with Springfield leading the state in terminal numbers and revenue.
The state collected $300.5 million in tax revenues from 26,873 machines for the 12-month period ending June 30 as terminal numbers have grown each year since gambling began with 61 machines statewide in September 2012, according to an annual wagering report from the Illinois Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability. The figure topped 27,000 by the end of July and was projected to hit 28,000 by mid-2018.
Chicago Tribune: Cook Co. forest preserve purchased for $14.5M is closed amid land dispute
“NO TRESPASSING” signs have been posted at the entrances to the largest new forest preserve in Cook County.
“Forest Preserve of Cook County does not have possession & has no right to enter this property or permit others to do so,” the warning reads on a locked gate at Horizon Farm, a rolling, 400-acre horse farm in Barrington Hills.
WTTW Chicago Tonight: Chicago Park District Gets $900K for Big Marsh Upgrades
The Chicago Park District will receive nearly $900,000 in grant funding to restore wetlands and improve water flow at the 278-acre Big Marsh Park on the city’s Southeast Side.
A former industrial site acquired by the Park District in 2011, Big Marsh opened as a public park last year with the goal of providing a new type of “eco-recreation” that merges habitat restoration with public use. Big Marsh made headlines again last fall when it debuted a new bike park, the biggest such park in the Midwest.
Chicago Tribune: Lawsuit challenges the cash bail system in Cook County
A Cook County Circuit Court judge on Monday heard hours of legal arguments but held off on a key ruling over a lawsuit that alleges the county’s use of cash bail unconstitutionally discriminates against minority and poor suspects.
The lawsuit is part of a national debate underway over how bond, which Illinois law intended judges to use as a tool to ensure defendants appear for trial, is set for those accused of low-level offenses.
Northwest Herald: McHenry County to make changes to bail system after state law passed
McHenry County court officials are working to comply with a new state law that requires defense lawyers to be present at first appearance bail hearings and allows those who are jailed on low-level offenses to be freed without posting cash bail.
The Bail Reform Act seeks to deal with the problems faced by people who are charged with relatively minor crimes but remain jailed because they cannot come up with bail money.
Daily Herald: East Dundee amends incentive agreement with auto dealer
East Dundee is amending the incentives offered to an automobile dealership after realizing the business is not generating as much tax revenue as expected.
The Cucci Ford dealership at 800 Dundee Ave. completed a roughly $2 million renovation last year that included improving the building’s show rooms, service center and facade, Village Administrator Jennifer Johnsen said.
Rockford Register-Star: ‘Amazon tax’ makes up for lagging sales tax revenue in Rockford
The city is poised to hit its revenue and expenditure targets for 2017 as taxes for online purchases appear to be paying off despite traditional sales, phone and income tax collections falling short of initial projections.
Rockford this year has collected $2.3 million from what’s sometimes called the “Amazon tax,” a sales tax on out-of-state purchases and e-commerce. Illinois began collecting the use tax from the online retail giant in 2015. Rockford has so far this year collected 32.5 percent more — $557,164 — than what was budgeted from the use tax, enough to cover much of the unexpected shortfalls in other revenue streams.
Rockford Register-Star: Winnebago County Board votes to continue budget discussions
A proposed $4.3 million reduction to the Winnebago County Sheriff’s Department fiscal 2018 budget is still on the table.
The Winnebago County Board voted 17-2 tonight during a special meeting to delay approval of a proposed fiscal year 2018 budget that would have nearly eliminated a $6.8 million budget deficit in the county’s general and 1 percent public safety tax funds, its two largest funds.
Bloomington Pantagraph: City staff pushing for aggressive Bloomington sewer rate hikes
Bloomington residents could see a 73 percent increase in their monthly sanitary sewer bills and a 48 percent increase in storm water sewer bills over the next five years if the City Council approves fee hikes requested by the city staff.
At a work session Monday, the staff began making a case for 11.6 percent annual increases in sewer rates, including consumption and fixed fees, over a five-year period ending in fiscal 2023, and 8.2 percent annual hikes in storm water fixed fees during the same period.
State Journal-Register: EIU enrollment down by 5 percent
Eastern Illinois University data show that enrollment for the fall semester is down by about 5 percent but it’s the school’s lowest decline from fall-to-fall in six years.
The Charleston school’s fall enrollment is 7,030 students, down from 7,415 students in fall 2016. The (Charleston) Times-Courier and Mattoon Journal-Gazette report that the Charleston school also reported Friday that enrollment of traditional transfer students increased 19 percent.
Fox Illinois: Residents displaced by rail improvement plan
A plan to keep trains from sounding their horns in Springfield and prevent train crashes could also force some residents to move.
Dozens of people will feel the effects of Springfield’s Rail Improvement Project.