Politico: Obama to announce Supreme Court pick, setting off battle with Senate
President Barack Obama plans to announce his nominee for the Supreme Court in a Rose Garden event at 11 a.m. Wednesday, formally setting off a fierce confirmation battle with Senate Republicans.
In the emailed announcement, Obama did not name his choice, but said he sought someone with “an independent mind, unimpeachable credentials, and an unquestionable mastery of law.”
Chicago Tribune: Primary results
Results from the March 15 Illinois primary election. Races listed alphabetically by jurisdiction from federal to state to municipal and county level.
Sun-Times: Emanuel blasts CHA voucher program as policy ‘gone awry’
Mayor Rahm Emanuel on Tuesday condemned what he called a well-intentioned policy “gone awry” that has allowed the Chicago Housing Authority to rent luxury apartments at extravagant rents for some needy families while leaving others out in the cold.
Chicago Tribune: North Shore school district's $198M referendum causing 'a civil war in Highland Park'
In the waning days of the state’s legislative session last spring, an innocuous bill about kids’ teeth was headed toward a vote.
But things changed quickly. The wording about school-related dental exams was wiped out. Added in was a little-noticed bonanza for Highland Park-based North Shore School District 112, which was planning a school construction project that had already become contentious.
In an unusual but not unprecedented move, lawmakers allowed the district to amass more debt, sort of like raising the limit on a credit card. It’s significant because the district could borrow more for the project, issuing bonds that taxpayers would have to approve and pay back.
Sun-Times: Court clerk’s employee agrees to plead guilty to federal charges
On an Election Day that saw Cook County Circuit Court Clerk Dorothy Brown fighting for her political future, a lower-level employee in her office agreed to plead guilty to federal charges.
Sivasubramani Rajaram was charged in November with lying to a federal grand jury.
That grand jury had been investigating the purchasing of jobs and promotions in the clerk’s office.
My Stateline: Illinois Pays Highest Local and State Tax Rates in Nation
Residents of Illinois pay the highest overall tax rates in the nation according to a new analysis by the website Wallethub.com.
Their conclusion factors in the expiration of a temporary income tax increase that happened January 1st, 2015, meaning even with the drop in the income tax rate, Illinois taxpayers face the highest tax burden in the U.S.
Illinois finished 51st overall when it came to tax burden (the analysis included the District of Columbia) because of three main factors.
CBS: GE Bringing New 100 Jobs To Downtown Chicago
The city of Chicago missed out on getting General Electric to move its corporate headquarters here, but it’s offering something of a consolation prize.
The company has announced plans to bring 100 new tech jobs to the city at GE Transportation’s new Digital Solutions office at 500 W. Monroe St. The new jobs will include software engineers, software developers, data scientists, project analysts, and project managers.
“When it comes to technology, when it comes to talent, and when it comes to transportation, Chicago is the epicenter of those three things, which is why it’s a perfect fit for GE and Chicago,” Mayor Rahm Emanuel said.
Sun-Times: Mitchell: A miracle on 26th and California, part 2
Cook County Jail officials are crediting “Malachi Dads,” a program that originated in the notorious Louisiana State Penitentiary, also known as “Angola,” with changing the violent behavior of men housed in Division 9, the jail’s maximum-security wing.
“Over the last seven months there has not been an inmate involved in a fight or staff assault,” said Frank Arce, superintendent of Division 9. “We have put these men to the test. They are proud and committed to making a change.”