During a special session that’s costing taxpayers tens of thousands of dollars a day without any results, both Democrats and Republicans are talking up the idea of compromise without publicly doing much to reach one.

Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner has blanketed his social media accounts with calls for lawmakers to send him the “Capitol Compromise,” the reasonable-sounding name for a proposal put together by GOP lawmakers but without input from Democrats.

As Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan forged through on reform measures deemed phony by Republicans, Gov. Bruce Rauner on Wednesday said he’ll keep legislators in Springfield until they “get the job done.”

Legislators have until Friday night to pass a budget before the beginning of a new fiscal year — with the very real threat of transportation projects shutting down, rating agencies downgrading the state’s bond status to “junk,” and a bevy of other ills.

If Illinois passes any kind of budget as a result of the ongoing special session, it will be because Democratic House Speaker Mike Madigan allowed it to happen.

In his 33 years so far as speaker – he will set a national record when he finishes out his 17th term with the gavel in 2018 – Madigan has accumulated almost unchecked power. He determines what bills move on for a vote, and which do not. And as the longtime chairman of the state Democratic Party, he also has a big say in who gets elected from the party.

A property tax freeze critical to ending Illinois’ historic budget jam failed in the House on Wednesday and the Republican governor who is demanding the freeze threatened to keep lawmakers in session over the July 4 holiday unless there is an agreement on a spending plan by the end of Friday.

House Democrats skeptical of capping growth of property tax revenue – the main source of funding for schools – swallowed hard and offered up a four-year statewide freeze, a key requirement of Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner before he will agree to an annual budget. Illinois has gone without a budget since 2015, the longest of any state since at least the Great Depression.

Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner says if legislators fail to send him a budget by Friday, he’ll extend a legislative special session until they “get the job done.”

The Republican issued the news in a statement Wednesday afternoon as lawmakers met in special session for an eighth straight day at the Capitol. The new fiscal year starts Saturday. If legislators fail to reach an agreement before then, Illinois will enter a third straight year without a spending plan.

By, George?

Is it time to get our Con-Con on?

Former Gov. George Ryan, who had a flair for negotiation, tells Sneed he has a solution to the state’s budget nightmare.

“It’s time for the state to call a Constitutional Convention, which hasn’t been held since 1970!

Bills owed Springfield-area businesses, schools, local governments, the U.S. Postal Service, hotels, health care facilities and even state employees for travel expenses totaled $22,011,809 and change on June 20.

That’s one day at one state agency.

A lawyer has told a federal judge in a civil case surrounding billions of dollars in unpaid Medicaid bills that trying to squeeze money out of Illinois as it heads into a third year without a budget is like trying to squeeze “blood out of a stone.”

His comments came at a hearing Wednesday in Chicago on a request from Medicaid recipients that Judge Joan Lefkow order Illinois to pay $1 billion a month to ensure care for the poor and others isn’t jeopardized. Illinois would pay half and federal funds would match that.

The expiration date for a law that authorizes and helps provide money for 911 services in Illinois is quickly approaching.

On July 1, the existing Emergency Telephone Act will expire, cutting off authorization for 911 services and dispose of the surcharge that helps 911 call centers continue running.

Chicago Teachers Union President Karen Lewis said Wednesday that school district officials are “borrowing money at usurious rates” instead of directing scarce resources toward classrooms, criticisms that come as another education budget cycle draws to a close and school communities again look ahead to a still-unclear financial picture for the fall.

“I think we really need to consider what our priorities are,” Lewis said outside Chicago Public Schools headquarters during a union protest over a district decision to reduce the number of jobs in a preschool program.

Technology, globalization and the normalization of greed are often cited as primary contributing causes to the growing gap between rich and poor in the United States. As the disparity in wealth distribution has increased in recent years, so has public discourse about it. The statistics are clear. According to the Institute for Policy Studies, the top 1 percent of earners possess twice the share of the nation’s total income that they held in the mid-20th century. The effects on our communities, however, vary widely depending on who you talk to.

In a surprise development, Officer Jason Van Dyke, charged with murder in the on-duty shooting of Laquan McDonald, took the witness stand Wednesday, uttering his first public words of substance since he was charged 19 months ago.

The focus of the court hearing, though, was limited: Could the special prosecutor, in his case against Van Dyke, use separate statements that the officer gave to two police officials shortly after the shooting?

A day after his handpicked City Hall watchdog called for a federal judge to oversee Chicago police reforms, Mayor Rahm Emanuel on Wednesday again defended his approach to instead partner with President Donald Trump’s Justice Department to make the changes outside of court.

The mayor continued to dig in on his position even after three Chicago police officers were indicted Tuesday for allegedly covering up details in the 2014 Laquan McDonald police shooting. The 2015 release of video in that shooting led to a 13-month federal civil rights investigation that resulted in calls for sweeping changes in a Police Department with a pattern of misconduct and excessive force.

Northern Illinois University, already dealing with the controversial departure of the school’s president, found itself this week replacing the dean of its law school, who resigned after an investigation into improper conduct found he violated university policy, according to officials.

Eric Dannenmaier, who had been on voluntary administrative leave since February, resigned recently as the dean of the College of Law, officials said. The school’s board of trustees, meeting Wednesday in DeKalb, named veteran law school professor Mark Cordes as interim dean.

Mike McCoy’s extensive law enforcement and political experience have earned him the title of highest paid police officer in Tazewell County, according to the mayor who hired him.

McCoy, who will be sworn in as Washington police chief on Thursday after serving 15 years as Peoria County Sheriff, will start his new position with a base salary of $120,000 and a chance for annual increases based on performance over the life of his four-year contract.