State lawmakers began sexual harassment prevention training Wednesday, their latest step in a push to change a decadeslong culture at the Capitol where women have complained of being objectified, intimidated and groped by men in power.

The voluntary training conducted by employees of the Illinois Department of Human Rights came just a day after legislators approved a flurry of bills designed to tackle the problem, while acknowledging true change will require diligence for years to come.

Senate Republicans joined Democrats on Wednesday in rejecting Gov. Bruce Rauner’s denunciation of a debt transparency bill as a form of “political manipulation” by his Democratic enemies — overwhelmingly overriding the governor’s veto.

The override passed the Senate 52 to 3, with no debate. The three opposing the override were Senate Republican Leader Bill Brady, his deputy GOP leader, Sen. Dave Syverson of Rockford, and Sen. Jim Oberweis of Sugar Grove.

Billions of dollars in old state employee health insurance bills and Medicaid bills will be paid off in the next few days with money from bonds issued to cut into the state’s nearly $17 billion bill backlog, Comptroller Susana Mendoza said Wednesday.

Combined with federal matching funds available for some of the bills, a total of nearly $9 billion can be used to pay down medical-related bills, many of which are subject to late payment penalties.

Teachers in Illinois will have one more thing to add to their lesson plans in future years, as the Illinois Senate has overridden Governor Bruce Rauner’s veto of a bill mandating that students learn how to write in cursive.

The measure, which Rauner vetoed in September, passed overwhelmingly in the Senate on Wednesday by a 42-12 margin. The Illinois House had already overridden Rauner’s veto in October, meaning that the measure will now come into force.

Brandon Whitehead dropped to his knees in the middle of the busy street, cars veering around him as an off-duty Chicago police officer aimed a handgun at him and his father.

It was nearly midnight, and Walter Whitehead had been driving his 16-year-old home from his job as a cashier at Long John Silver’s.

Chicago Public Schools officials have reinstated the principal accused by the district’s top watchdog of falsifying student data at the alternative high school she runs inside Cook County Jail.

In the latest butting of heads between CPS CEO Forrest Claypool and Inspector General Nicholas Schuler, the district announced Sharnette Sims will return to the helm of York Alternative High School at 2700 S. California Ave. on Thursday — less than two months after she was banned from the jail amid Schuler’s findings that the principal faked student attendance and credits to boost the school’s reputation.

A pair of key Chicago aldermen want to fine pedestrians up to $500 if they’re caught texting or using a cellphone while walking through an intersection, an idea that quickly drew skepticism from city transportation officials and a noncommittal response from Mayor Rahm Emanuel.

The proposed ordinance, which would still have to pass the full City Council, calls for fines of $90 to $500 for each incident of using a mobile device while crossing a street or highway.

Responding to years of criticism that City Hall favors upstarts Uber and Lyft over taxi owners, Mayor Rahm Emanuel on Wednesday pitched a solution: Make the beleaguered cab companies more like their increasingly prosperous ride-share competitors.

Taxi drivers would get the option of pre-arranging fares with passengers via apps. Cabbies could also set “surge” pricing — boosting ride costs during periods of heavy demand.

The Pace board of directors approved a budget on Wednesday that will raise fares next year by a quarter a ride.

Pace, the bus service primarily serving the suburbs, has not had an overall fare hike since 2009. The increase approved Wednesday will apply to both regular and paratransit fares. Fares for a regular bus trip will rise from $1.75 to $2.

Algonquin Township trustees have approved a transfer of $194,870 from the road district’s $3 million coffer into a fund to cover the mounting legal bills of Highway Commissioner Andrew Gasser.

The move at Wednesday night’s township meeting unsettled some township officials and several residents upset about how the largest municipality in McHenry County has been spending tax dollars.

Elgin’s proposed 2018 budget includes cuts of $1 million, mostly in firefighters’ overtime costs, and $4.2 million in additional revenue from a new gasoline tax and increases to sales and hotel/motel taxes.

City Manager Rick Kozal unveiled the proposed $258 million budget at Wednesday’s city council meeting. The plan is to use $876,000 from reserves to balance the $116.4 million general fund budget, which pays for day-to-day expenses and is 1.4 percent lower than this year’s general fund budget.

Des Plaines Elementary District 62 Superintendent Floyd Williams will remain on paid leave for undisclosed reasons after the school board Wednesday again decided not to act on his job status.

School board members spent two hours deliberating Williams’ employment behind closed doors only to emerge without a decision. Williams, hired less than a year and a half ago, has been absent from the district since mid-October. In a statement, the school board described the absence as a “mutually-agreed-upon paid leave.”

McHenry County residents could be granted some tax relief next year if the county board approves an 11.2 percent reduction to the property tax levy.

The proposal would allow the county to collect about $71.8 million in property taxes for 2017, representing an $8 million decrease over the previous year. The move would fulfill the county board’s goal and first-year Chairman Jack Franks’ campaign pledge to cut property taxes by 10 percent.

The Rockford Park District is looking for ways to close a $532,000 budget gap, and everything from program cuts to video gaming is on the table.

Park District leaders are wrestling with the proposed $34.5 million operating budget they need to set before Jan. 16. The district began the budget process with a $1 million deficit, and has already made cuts across several departments and eliminated positions by attrition and restructuring. Where the rest of the money comes from is the question, and the president of the district’s board of commissioners says he’s not willing to entertain a tax increase.