Trustees at financially troubled Chicago State University have voted to approve a separation agreement with President Thomas Calhoun Jr. that includes a $600,000 payment.

The Chicago Tribune reports (http://trib.in/2cBZCUC ) trustees voted 6-1 Friday to accept Calhoun’s resignation. They are scheduled to choose an interim president later Friday.

For any with faint hopes that the state Supreme Court would emerge from its partisan cocoon and agree to reconsider allowing Illinoisans a voice in how lawmakers are elected, the court provided an emphatic silence this week.

here could be more reductions happening at Caterpillar as part of the ongoing restructuring plans.

The exact number of reductions is unclear at this time.

Friday, a Caterpillar spokesperson released the following statement:

“These workforce reductions are part of Caterpillar’s ongoing restructuring actions. These reductions are occurring in East Peoria and Aurora. The company is not breaking out impact by location.”

No other details were immediately available.

Chicago teachers are expected to vote to authorize a strike next week after months of negotiations over teacher pay — and how much teachers will contribute to their pensions — have faltered.

The $5.4 billion Chicago Public Schools budget, adopted in August, relies on a contract proposal rejected by the union in February that would raise teachers’ pay but require them to contribute more to their pensions.

With the debate set to begin in earnest after the strike authorization vote set for Sept. 21-23, here’s what you need to know:

The median salary for nearly 18,000 teachers employed by CPS as of June was $78,169, according to an analysis of CPS data. Teachers get a median of $27,564 in benefits, including pension payments and insurance. The DNAinfo analysis excluded teachers who hold multiple part-time positions in one or more schools.

A Chicago police officer has been indicted on federal civil rights charges after a video captured him firing at a car as it was backing away from him, wounding two teens inside.

Federal authorities said Officer Marco Proano, 41, was charged with two counts of deprivation of rights under the color of law for using unreasonable force with a dangerous weapon while on-duty during the December 2013 incident.

The Illinois Department of Employment Security says the state’s unemployment rate dropped slightly in August.

IDES officials say the unemployment rate decreased by 0.3 percent, to 5.5 percent.  However, officials add that the decrease is largely due to “a decline in the labor force,” with the state still 46,400 jobs below its peak employment level in September 2000.

Even with the decrease, Illinois’ unemployment rate is still higher than the national average, which sits at 4.9 percent.  The number of employed residents also dropped during August, to 363,700.