Read the latest news from around Illinois.
The Center Square: Illinois gets a failing grade for finances
Illinois is getting a failing grade for its financial health, according to a think tank.
In its “Financial State of the States” report, the think tank Truth in Accounting said Illinois received an “F” for going into the COVID-19 pandemic in dire fiscal health, and will probably come out of the crisis even worse.
WBEZ: CUB's 'conflict: How an Illinois utility watchdog got millions from utilities
After winning Springfield’s support for a multibillion-dollar piece of legislation in 2016, Commonwealth Edison decided to celebrate with a pair of invitation-only events at a Gatsby-esque River North nightspot once known as the Montgomery Club.
The first party featured cocktails and hors d’oeuvres and was to last two to three hours. At the second, more exclusive soiree, ComEd’s retiring top lobbyist was being toasted for getting the bill passed and for a long career in and around state government.
WTTW: 'No silver bullet': Aldermen start confronting massive budget shortfall
Chicago’s chief financial officer warned aldermen Monday that taxing big firms and financial transactions would not help dig the city out of a massive budget hole caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
Mayor Lori Lightfoot has said repeatedly that everything is on the table as she and her finance team work to craft a plan to fill the projected $1.2 billion shortfall in 2021 — and end 2020 in the black after the pandemic opened an $800 million gap in the current year’s budget.
The Center Square: Pension reform advocates say eviction moratorium makes case for pension reform
Illinois’ potentially deepening pension hole, brought about by the pandemic and subsequent government lockdowns of the economy, have reform advocates calling for the state to finally make some tough decisions about its debt.
Illinois’ pension liabilities, long underfunded by state lawmakers as a way to balance their books in lieu of spending restraint, are going to come out on the other side of the pandemic with more unfunded debt than ever.
State Journal-Register: Pritzker says no to high school football despite Illinois being a leader in testing
Weekend rallies by supporters of fall high school sports didn’t convince Gov. JB Pritzker to change his view that contact sports should be postponed until the spring.
At an appearance in Springfield to tout the state’s testing program, Pritzker said he still isn’t convinced high school football, girls volleyball and other contact sports can safely be played at this stage of the coronavirus pandemic. He said that’s the case despite Illinois being a leader in testing for COVID-19 which is a key factor in controlling the spread of the disease.
Crain's Chicago Business: Illinois will give some retail weed applicants a do-over
The scoring for retail marijuana licenses came under heavy criticism when some applicants said they weren’t notified of deficiencies and given chance to correct them, but some others were. It was the basis for several lawsuits.
WTTW: Teachers want more say in remote learning plan: CTU leaders
The Chicago Teachers Union says it’s too early for any final marks on remote learning just two weeks into the school year, but teachers and clinicians on Monday did offer some suggestions for how to improve it.
Union leadership and members said Chicago Public Schools needs to better tailor student schedules to reduce screen time and allow clinicians to do more work from home to limit the number of people who are in school buildings on a daily basis.