Get the latest news from around Illinois.
The Chicago Tribune: Dolton trustees override Mayor Tiffany Henyard’s veto, solidifying the hiring of Lori Lightfoot as special investigator
Solidifying the divide between Dolton Mayor Tiffany Henyard and the majority of the village’s trustees, the Dolton Village Board voted Monday night to override her veto of their April decision to hire former Chicago mayor Lori Lightfoot to investigate Henyard’s spending habits.
Similarly to past meetings addressing Henyard’s conduct as mayor, concerned residents lined up outside the board chamber to make sure they had a chance to speak out against what many see as chronic dishonesty and mismanagement of taxpayer funds by Henyard.
Capitol News: Judge considering whether slated candidates can appear on November ballot
A Sangamon County judge is weighing whether to block a new state law that bans the long-practiced tradition of political parties slating candidates for a general election after sitting out of a primary race.
Democrats who control the General Assembly pushed the measure through the legislative process and Gov. JB Pritzker signed it into law in a matter of days last month, arguing that slating is unfair to voters who didn’t get a say in a primary contest. Several would-be Republican candidates then sued over the law, claiming it’s unfair to ban the practice in the middle of an election cycle.
Chicago Sun-Times: Chicago City Council examines mayor’s plans to quickly spend COVID relief money
The Chicago City Council scrutinized Monday Mayor Brandon Johnson’s plan to quickly budget hundreds of millions of federal COVID-19 relief dollars before a looming end-of-year deadline.
During a day-long hearing before the City Council’s Committee on Budget and Government Operations, Johnson’s top deputies and department commissioners gave a detailed look at how the city plans to spend roughly $345 million in unspent American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds slated for community initiatives.
The Daily Herald: Suburbs face new dilemma with fate of grocery tax in their hands
The Illinois legislature’s decision to eliminate the state’s 1% grocery tax, but allow cities and villages to replace it with a 1% tax of their own, is receiving mixed reviews from suburban leaders.
“The potential is that each town is going to do something different,” Schaumburg Mayor Tom Dailly said. “I just think there’s some people who’ll feel obligated not to do it even though it’s existed for years.”
The Center Square: Bill allowing IL drivers 3 unpaid tickets before suspension headed for governor
A bill that passed the Illinois General Assembly will allow traffic violators to get three unpaid traffic tickets per year before they have their license suspended.
After backlash earlier this year, state Rep. Justin Slaughter didn’t move forward with a controversial traffic stop bill that would have prohibited officers from pulling over individuals caught speeding up to 25 miles per hour over the posted speed limit. However, Slaughter pushed through a different, more watered down, traffic bill in House Bill 277. Slaughter, D-Chicago, said the current law is unfair to violators and causes problems for them keeping their jobs.
CIProud: Washington City Council discussing new evidence building
Members of the Washington City Council will discuss a plan to amend their budget to come up with money for the city’s new evidence building.
At their meeting Monday, the council will hear from Police Chief Mike McCoy about construction bids for the city’s new evidence building. The project was initially slated to cost $1.9 million but has since risen to just under $2.4 million, according to a memo sent to council members.
WTTW: Illinois House Speaker Emphatic That Bears, Sox Won’t Get Public Funding for Stadiums
Not only did the Chicago Bears and White Sox fail to win state funding for new stadiums before the General Assembly’s session ended last week, the teams shouldn’t expect to notch a legislative win later this year.
“As we’ve said to the Bears over and over again, to the White Sox, and also to the Chicago Red Stars, there’s just no appetite to use taxpayer funding to fund stadiums for billionaires,” House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch told WTTW News in an interview Monday. “Even after the election.”