Get the latest news from around Illinois.
Chicago Tribune: Illinois’ new governor touts legal marijuana, but will he remove roadblocks to expand medical pot?
With pro-marijuana J.B. Pritzker now in the Illinois governor’s mansion, all eyes are on his plan to legalize cannabis for recreational use. But even if approved by lawmakers, that could take more than a year to implement, and many voices are raising the call to take things slowly.
In the meantime, advocates say there’s a simple way the governor could greatly increase access to marijuana for those who want it for medical reasons.
Associated Press: Rauner administration reduced number of state patronage jobs
Former Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner’s administration reclassified thousands of state jobs so an applicant’s political loyalty and connections may no longer be considered during the hiring process, according to a former administration official.
Joe Hartzler, who was a special counsel to Rauner, told The State Journal-Register that the administration likely made changes to 2,500 positions that were once exempt from anti-patronage protections. He called it “a radical change.”
Belleville News-Democrat: JB Pritzker wants Brendan Kelly to take over running the Illinois State Police
St. Clair County State’s Attorney Brendan Kelly is set to have a new job.
Gov. J.B. Pritztker is nominating Kelly to be director of the Illinois State Police, the administration confirmed to the Belleville News-Democrat.
Chicago Tribune: $24 million settlement in ‘Englewood Four’ case on Cook County agenda
Cook County commissioners this week are set to vote on a proposed $24 million settlement for three of four men who spent nearly 16 years in prison for the 1994 rape and murder of a woman in Englewood before DNA linked the crime to a convicted killer.
The three — Michael Saunders, Vincent Thames and Harold Richardson — were convicted along with Terrill Swift for the rape and murder of Nina Glover, a slaying that happened when they were teenagers. The Englewood Four, as they came to be known, were later cleared and a judge granted them certificates of innocence despite prosecutors’ objections.
Chicago Sun-Times: Community groups try to slow down $5 billion Lincoln Yards development
A coalition of community leaders tried Monday to slow down the Lincoln Yards freight train before it leaves the station.
Friends of the Parks, Friends of the North Branch Park & Preserve, North Branch Works, the Bucktown Community Organization and the Chicago Independent Venues League joined forces in urging Mayor Rahm Emanuel and local Ald. Brian Hopkins (2nd) to call off a vote on the $5 billion development at Thursday’s meeting of the Chicago Plan Commission.
Northwest Herald: Woodstock Fire/Rescue District seeking tax increase referendum
The Woodstock Fire/Rescue District is seeking approval from voters to raise its property tax levy by 20 percent to address staffing levels, capital improvements and emergency vehicle needs.
The district is its own taxing body, separate from the city of Woodstock. Its portion of a resident’s property tax bill is about 7 percent, which accounts for more than 75 percent of the district’s revenue, Fire Chief Michael Hill said.