Get the latest news from around Illinois.
The Center Square: Illinois lawmakers skeptical of a funding request for teacher bonuses
Illinois lawmakers considering a funding request to pay teachers a retention bonus expressed skepticism on whether the program is working and improving education outcomes.
During a House Appropriations-Elementary and Secondary Education Committee hearing this week, officials administering the program asked for $10 million in taxpayer funds for bonuses. Jennifer Ross, a lobbyist for the National Board of Professional Teaching Standards, said the bonuses are an attempt to get teachers in hard-to-staff schools.
Chicago Sun-Times: Convicted ex-Michael Madigan aide will have his pension suspended
The onetime top aide to former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan will have his six-figure state pension suspended Friday as a result of his conviction and sentencing for lying to a federal grand jury.
The state retirement board that oversees pension benefits for current and retired state workers also is asking Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul to recommend whether former Madigan Chief of Staff Timothy Mapes’s pension should be permanently revoked.
The Chicago Tribune: Low tax collection rate in south suburbs shows need for development, changes in Springfield
South suburban towns are leaving more tax dollars on the table than every other portion of Cook County, according to a new study by the treasurer’s office that investigates municipal collection rates.
Only 86.4% of billed taxes owed by residents were collected by local governments in the south suburbs, according to the analysis of the recently concluded 2022 tax year, far below the average tax collection rate in Cook County of 96%. That means Southland towns are losing out on $185 million in funds for services such as public safety, education and infrastructure.
The Daily Herald: Stormy night: 11 tornadoes hit the region Tuesday, weather service confirms
At least 11 tornadoes touched down in the Chicago region during Tuesday night’s severe thunderstorms, likely contributing to the damaged buildings, fallen trees and general mayhem that greeted many suburbanites as they ventured from their homes the following day.
Meteorologists with the National Weather Service on Wednesday confirmed the 11 tornadoes. They included EF-1 tornadoes that struck Inverness, Mundelein, Geneva, Batavia and Sugar Grove; and lesser EF-0 tornadoes in Hoffman Estates, South Barrington, Elburn and Campton Hills.
The State Journal-Register: Pritzker introduces pension reform plan that could save taxpayers billions. Will it work?
If Gov. JB Pritzker has his way, a 30-year pension funding initiative of a Republican predecessor would be no more.
Then-Gov. Jim Edgar signed a bipartisan pension reform package in 1994, setting a pathway for the state to fund 90% of its pension liabilities by 2045. Over the years, lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have slammed the slow pathway to meeting that goal — currently funding less than 45% and $141.3 billion short overall.
The Center Square: Transportation leaders urge Pritzker to not divert road funds to Chicago transit
Transportation industry leaders are urging Gov. J.B. Pritzker and legislative leaders to keep their promise to Rebuild Illinois and stop the diversion of road funds to fill funding gaps in Chicago public transit.
Kevin Artl, president and CEO of the American Council of Engineering Companies of Illinois, said he doesn’t think it’s a shock to anyone that work travel has changed post pandemic.