Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s call for lawmakers to pass a bill legalizing sports betting without getting bogged down in the squabbles that have doomed previous gambling expansion efforts always looked like a long shot, and lawmakers’ first public discussion of the issue during the spring legislative session showed why.

An Illinois House subcommittee spent hours Thursday morning hearing testimony on four options for legal sports wagering that were proposed last week, plus a surprise fifth option that was filed Tuesday. While the plans all would allow residents and visitors to bet on sporting events, the proposals vary widely in where they would be able to place those wagers and how much tax revenue the state would generate.

In a sign of which way the political winds are blowing in Springfield, a major business group today came out in favor of a big increase in the state’s tax on gasoline and diesel fuel to pay for needed improvements in roads, bridges, transit and other transportation projects.

In a statement and interview—and in a piece of legislation introduced on its behalf—the Illinois Chamber of Commerce proposed a plan that would inject an additional $2 billion a year into the state budget for transportation, largely by raising the state’s motor-fuel tax from 19 cents a gallon now to 44 cents.

Metropolitan areas in northern Illinois enjoyed most of the job growth that occurred in the state over the past year while a number of central-state communities saw net job losses.

That’s according to new figures released Thursday by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Illinois Department of Employment Security.

Chicago mayoral candidate Lori Lightfoot is expected to announce a plan Friday that could drastically alter the way City Hall handles vehicle ticketing, fines and fees.

Her proposal comes in response to investigations by WBEZ and ProPublica Illinois, which found the city’s ticketing system disproportionately affects poor Chicagoans and people of color. Lightfoot wants to eliminate using the wheel-jamming Denver boot for non-moving violations, and also take down any red light cameras that are being used for revenue and not safety – which may be all of them.

For the second time in two years, the price of tuition at the College of DuPage will be rising by $1 per credit hour.

Board members at the Glen Ellyn-based community college recently voted to increase tuition to $137 per credit hour for in-district students, $324 for out-of-district students and $394 for out-of-state students. The change will take effect in the fall.

If voters reject Newport Township Fire Protection District’s request for a $3.5 million bond issue in Tuesday’s election, the cash-strapped department will have to lay off three firefighters, effectively turning fire station 2 into a garage, officials said.

The district is set to run a deficit of more than $100,000 in the fiscal year beginning May 1, according to a news release.