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Chicago Tribune: Disgraced former Ald. Daniel Solis collecting nearly $95K annual city pension, could keep receiving taxpayer-funded payments for life
Disgraced former Chicago Ald. Daniel Solis collects a nearly $95,000 annual city taxpayer-funded pension, despite his role as a central figure in an ongoing public corruption scandal at City Hall, records show.
Federal authorities filed an affidavit under seal in May 2016 that made several allegations against Solis before he agreed to cooperate with their investigation. Solis wore an FBI wire for two years as part of the wide-ranging criminal probe that ensnared Ald. Edward Burke and rocked city government.
Chicago Tribune: As Chicago teacher contract issues remain unsettled, CPS and CTU ramp up rhetoric looking for a deal
Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s top negotiator has sent the Chicago Teachers Union a letter accusing the group of not responding to key proposals and asking that they reach a deal in the next two weeks.
The union fired back Sunday when Vice President Stacy Davis Gates criticized the letter, calling it disingenuous and accusing Chicago Public Schools officials of “being absolutely dishonest.”
Crain's Chicago Business: Lightfoot would be wise to steer clear of these tax ideas
• A corporate head tax of $16 per month for large companies.
• A 3.5 percent tax on office leases.
• A hike in the hotel tax from 4.5 percent to 7.5 percent.
• A tax on commercial properties vacant for more than 18 months.
• A local income tax on people earning more than $100,000 a year.
• A financial transaction tax on all high-speed trades.
Chicago Sun-Times: Is Clerk Karen Yarbrough ‘best official’ in county — or is patronage hiring flap only ‘tip of the iceberg’?
The Cook County clerk is typically a low-profile job.
Tasked with overseeing elections in more than 120 of the county’s suburbs; keeping official birth, marriage and death records; and maintaining delinquent tax records, the clerk’s office generally doesn’t draw much media attention.
Bloomington Pantagraph: Normal to report good financial health despite some concerns
Normal is in good fiscal shape but has a few lingering problems, staff members plan to tell the City Council.
The town graded positively in 21 of 28 areas on its annual financial trend and condition report, a document compiled by staff to show how well Normal is doing and where it might improve in the future to be presented Monday.
Decatur Herald & Review: Central Illinois courtrooms continue grappling with void of court reporters
An ongoing void of court reporters is raising concerns about how court systems will handle a crucial part of the legal process in coming years.
“No one is going to school for this anymore. Less people are coming into the industry,” said Circuit Judge A.G. Webber IV, presiding judge for Macon County. “When I started with the courthouse in 2001, there were schools in Decatur that offered court reporter training and those closed due to a lack of enrollment.”