Progress Illinois

Burris’ Son Landed Blago Admin Job
The revelation that the son of embattled Sen. Roland Burris just five months ago landed a $75,000-a-year state job under former Gov. Rod Blagojevich raises more questions about how forthcoming the senator has been about his interaction with Blagojevich’s inner circle.

State Budget Woes Worsen
Quinn is warning that next year’s deficit will likely exceed the previous $9 billion estimate by a significant margin and he met privately with Senate Republicans yesterday to make it clear that tax hikes are on the table. Despite the state’s budget problems, the governor is not shrinking away from his commitment to pass a capital bill by spring but he’s not convinced that a gas tax is the way to fund it. 

Quinn To Dept. Heads: Open Up
Gov. Pat Quinn sent a directive to state agency directors and lawyers yesterday to “take all steps necessary to make information as accessible as possible” by getting public information on-line and complying fully with the spirit of the Freedom of Information Act.

Two More IL National Guard Casualties
Two National Guard soldiers deployed to Afghanistan last year in the largest call-up of Illinois troops since World War II were killed in combat on Tuesday.

CPS To Close 16 Schools
People gave Chicago School officials an earful yesterday as they approved plans to shutter or shake up 16 schools, despite the fact that board members hadn’t toured all the buildings or read any transcripts of the public hearings.

Image of Dayspring Farm in Capron, IL used under a Creative Commons license by Flickr user rockman13.