New Gov. J.B. Pritzker is trying to reassure voters about his plan to raise state income taxes.

Pritzker last week took a major step forward in trying to sell taxpayers on his progressive income-tax plan by releasing proposed rates that leave most people alone but punish upper-income earners.

In doing so, however, Pritzker abandoned his campaign rhetoric that only super-wealthy people — “We ask people like Bruce Rauner and me to pay a little bit more” — would be affected.

The loss of two congressional seats and billions of dollars in federal funding are only two of the problems facing Illinois if it cannot get all of its residents to respond to the 2020 Census.

Although the official count does not start for another year, the federal government and state and local governments are ramping up their efforts to make the next census as accurate as possible.

The Chicken Little theory of why Chicago must approve the flawed Lincoln Yards megadevelopment — now, not later, or else the sky will fall — is winning the day.

Chicago, this theory goes, cannot repeat the mistake of New York, where Amazon last month pulled the plug on a big headquarters after liberal activists objected to giving the online behemoth nearly $3 billion in government incentives.

Efforts to develop Maplewood Elementary School into a moderately dense housing development have stalled, and the Barrington developer who spent many months pursuing approval from the Cary Village Board no longer is involved.

Patrick Taylor – owner of Central One LLC, which bought the property at 422 W. Krenz Ave. from Cary School District 26 for about $2.5 million last year to develop it – did not renew his contract with the school district to keep pushing the project.

Cook County Department of Transportation and Highways will host a public hearing from 4 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, on potential improvements to Busse Road between Central and Golf roads in Mount Prospect.

Officials said an open-house format will be used to collect feedback in the community room at Mount Prospect’s village hall, 50 S. Emerson St. Cook County representatives will be available to answer questions.