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Friday, May 18, 2012
Second Madison County drug-induced homicide case dismissed; Haine files bill to close loophole
Drugs (32)
Haine, Bill--State Senate, 56
A charge of drug-induced homicide was dismissed Thursday against a St. Louis County man who had been accused of selling the heroin that caused the fatal overdose last year of an East Alton man.
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Friday, May 18, 2012
State appoints members of financial oversight panel for East St. Louis school district
East St. Louis (65)
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Education - Educators/Administrators
The Illinois State Board of Education named six people Thursday to serve on a financial oversight panel for East St. Louis School District 189.
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Friday, May 18, 2012
Audit questions state fair concert ticket freebies
Agriculture (2)
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Auditor General (21)
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State Fair, Fairs
SPRINGFIELD -- Officials overseeing Illinois' two money-losing state fairs gave away thousands of tickets to Grandstand concerts in 2010 and 2011, but could not tell auditors exactly who received the freebies.
Illinois Auditor General Willliam Holland reported Thursday that the late summer events in Springfield and DuQuoin are supposed to have written policies regarding concert ticket g...
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Friday, May 18, 2012
GOP hopefuls seeking Johnson's spot on ballot speak at B-N forum
Candidates--Federal (13)
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Congress (22)
BLOOMINGTON — The Republican candidates vying to succeed U.S. Rep. Tim Johnson stressed shared conservative beliefs in a forum Thursday, but they sought to differentiate themselves with their resumes and personal styles.
About 160 people turned out at Eastland Suites Hotel and Conference Center, Bloomington, to hear from two congressional aides, a lawyer and the owner of a busines...
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Friday, May 18, 2012
Ill. House committee backs ending scholarship perk
Education--Higher (37)
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Legislature (56)
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Quinn, Governor (44)
SPRINGFIELD -- A House panel unanimously endorsed a plan Thursday to end a program allowing members of the House and Senate to dole out free college tuition to students in their districts.
The action in the House State Government Committee came two weeks after the Senate overwhelmingly supported legislation to kill off the controversial, 103-year-old perk.
The measure could be v...
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Friday, May 18, 2012
Menard prison on lockdown after fight
Budget--State (8)
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Corrections (74)
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Prisons (74)
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Quinn, Governor (44)
SPRINGFIELD -- State prison officials have put the Menard Correctional Center on lockdown after an outbreak of violence within the maximum-security facility.
An Illinois Department of Corrections spokeswoman said a guard had to fire a warning shot when two inmates wouldn't stop fighting Wednesday.
"There were no reported injuries. The incident is under investigation," said spoke...
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Friday, May 18, 2012
Minimum wage hike advances in state Senate
Minimum Wage (10)
Lightford, Kimberly--State Senate, 4
SPRINGFIELD — A push to increase Illinois’ minimum wage advanced in the General Assembly on Wednesday, but the sponsor of the legislation suggested it could be months before the measure is called for a vote in the full Senate.
State Sen. Kim Lightford, D-Maywood, said she wants to continue negotiating details in her proposal with business groups who are opposed to her plan t...
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Friday, May 18, 2012
Audit questions state fair freebies
Auditor General (21)
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State Fair, Fairs
SPRINGFIELD — Officials overseeing Illinois’ two money-losing state fairs gave away thousands of tickets to Grandstand concerts in 2010 and 2011, but could not tell auditors exactly who received the freebies. Illinois Auditor General William Holland reported Thursday that the late summer events in Springfield and Du Quoin are supposed to have written policies regarding co...
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Friday, May 18, 2012
Balance of Power: Sparring continues at SIU
Education--Higher (37)
CARBONDALE — Arguments between SIU’s former board of trustees chairman and the university president’s office continue, this time over who first sought help for the embattled board from a national group. Roger Herrin of Harrisburg, who was ousted as board chairman in March after a contentious 10 months, said it was his idea originally to seek help from the Associatio...
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Friday, May 18, 2012
Menard prison on lockdown after fight
Corrections (74)
SPRINGFIELD – State prison officials have put Menard Correctional Center on lockdown after an outbreak of violence within the maximum-security facility. An Illinois Department of Corrections spokeswoman said a guard had to fire a warning shot when two inmates wouldn’t stop fighting Wednesday. “There were no reported injuries. The incident is under investigation...
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Friday, May 18, 2012
Panel supports end of scholarship perk
Education--Higher (37)
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Legislative Scandals & Subpoenas (45b)
SPRINGFIELD — A House panel unanimously endorsed a plan Thursday to end a program allowing members of the House and Senate to dole out free college tuition to students in their districts. The action in the House State Government Committee came two weeks after the Senate overwhelmingly supported legislation to kill off the controversial, 103-year-old perk. The measure coul...
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Friday, May 18, 2012
Court backs Quinn in denying pay raises
Pay Raises
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Quinn, Governor (44)
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Unions, labor (55)
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — A federal appeals court is backing Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn over pay raises his administration canceled for thousands of union workers. A U.S. District Court dismissed an effort by the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees to force the administration to pay the raises. The Seventh U.S. Court of Appeals on Thursday upheld th...
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Friday, May 18, 2012
Dear Standard & Poor's, Before you slap Illinois with that multiple downgrade ...
Budget--State (8)
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Legislature (56)
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Medicaid, Managed Care
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Pensions (70)
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Quinn, Governor (44)
Dear Standard & Poor's,
We appreciate that you and the other credit rating agencies are busy overseas, what with Europe gridlocked at the intersection of debt and social democracy. So we thought we'd update you on another problem case, the insolvent state of Illinois. And while hope never should trump miserable experience, we want you to know that you soon might get so...
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Friday, May 18, 2012
Campaign funding idea is rash, risky
Election Issues (not candidates) (39)
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Ethics, Campaign Reform, Transparency (12a)
Currie, Barbara Flynn--State House, 25
It took Illinois lawmakers several years and the removal of a governor to build legislative ethics into the state’s campaign funding system. They may need only a couple of months to begin dismantling them. The excuse they see as a foundation is a March ruling by a federal judge who, citing last year’s U.S. Supreme Court ruling to the same effect, said that Illinois ...
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Friday, May 18, 2012
Kadner: Illinois should place bet on Internet poker’s future
Gambling, Gaming
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Internet, Social Media (98)
Cullerton, John--State Senate, 6
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Madigan, Michael--State House, 22
State Senate President John Cullerton (D-Chicago) wants Illinois to become the first state in the nation to legalize online poker. Earlier this week, Cullerton announced he would introduce a bill creating a Division of Internet Gaming within the state lottery. I’ve been critical of the Legislature, particularly its leaders, when it comes to some of the draconian cuts pr...
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Friday, May 18, 2012
Teachers irked by pension reform plans hold rally in Naperville
Education - Educators/Administrators
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Local Government (60)
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Pensions (70)
Senger, Darlene--State House, 96
Teachers are handing out failing grades to state lawmakers who hope to fix the public pension problem by asking them to take home a smaller paycheck, and make them work longer before they can collect their accumulated retirement benefits. About 150 teachers and their supporters turned out for a rally Thursday afternoon in the Free Speech Pavilion on Naperville’s Riverwalk. They ...
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Friday, May 18, 2012
Auditor finds state fairs can't account for free tickets
Auditor General (21)
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State Fair, Fairs
SPRINGFIELD — Officials overseeing Illinois’ two money-losing state fairs gave away thousands of tickets to grandstand concerts in 2010 and 2011 but could not tell auditors exactly who received the freebies.Illinois Auditor General Willliam Holland reported Thursday that the late summer events in Springfield and Du Quoin are supposed to have written policies regarding concert t...
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Friday, May 18, 2012
House committee votes to end legislative scholarships
Education Funding (36a)
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Education reform (38)
SPRINGFIELD — A House panel unanimously endorsed a plan Thursday to end a program allowing members of the House and Senate to dole out free college tuition to students in their districts.The action in the House State Government Committee came two weeks after the Senate overwhelmingly supported legislation to kill off the controversial, 103-year-old perk. The measure could be v...
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Friday, May 18, 2012
IL school chief warns of possible cuts to general state aid for schools
Education - Educators/Administrators
SPRINGFIELD — Illinois’ school chief this week sounded the alarm on possible cuts to the amount of money the state will give local schools during the coming fiscal year.
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Friday, May 18, 2012
Senate rejects Nation of Islam follower for human rights commission
Quinn, Governor (44)
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Religion
SPRINGFIELD — Illinois senators Thursday rejected the reappointment of a co-founder of a group dedicated to a former Nation of Islam leader to the state's Human Rights Commission.
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Friday, May 18, 2012
Study says cuts to home care lead to rising costs elsewhere
Health Care
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Medicaid, Managed Care
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Quinn, Governor (44)
SPRINGFIELD — Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn wants to cut $11 million in Medicaid spending on home health care and, according to a new study, the move could lead to higher costs in nursing homes and hospitals.
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Friday, May 18, 2012
Pension diversion plan would hit schools, local governments
Education--Elementary and Secondary (36)
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Local Government (60)
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Pensions (70)
Madigan, Michael--State House, 22
An idea to fund teacher’s pensions by diverting funds from schools and local governments would have a $3.9 million impact in Morgan County alone.
The proposal being floated by Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan would involve moving funds collected by the personal property replacement tax as a method to fund pension liability.
The tax was created decades ago and collect...
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Friday, May 18, 2012
Committee concerned about loss of tax Replacement tax could be taken from local bodies if amendment to house bill passes
Local Government (60)
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Taxes, property (87)
Madigan, Michael--State House, 22
MT. VERNON — — The Corporate Personal Property Replacement Tax could be taken from local taxing bodies due to an amendment to a house bill, said Jefferson County Treasurer Dan Knox. He said he received information from the Illinois Municipal League that an amendment to House Bill 3637 was submitted by Speaker Michael J. Madigan. “Basically, what they’re trying to do is...
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Friday, May 18, 2012
Fight for Dwight prison now with legislators
Corrections (74)
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State Facilities/Buildings
Barickman, Jason--State House, 105
Springfield, Ill. — Legislators are hard at work in the subcommittees of the Appropriations Committee, trying to include parts of the budget left out of Governor Pat Quinn’s proposed budget, including making room for state facilities that the Commission for Government Fore...
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Friday, May 18, 2012
Area school districts brace for state cuts
Budget--State (8)
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Education--Elementary and Secondary (36)
Mitchell, Jerry--State House, 90
STERLING – School districts across Illinois likely will see big cuts in their state aid – something area superintendents are fighting against.
This week, the Illinois State Board of Education put out numbers showing how proposed reductions could affect each district.
In Sterling, the public schools could see a 9 percent to 20 percent drop in its general state aid for...
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