Progress Illinois

Senate Pushes State Board Transparency
In an attempt to improve transparency on gubernatorial-appointed state boards, the state Senate yesterday overwhelmingly adopted a measure that mandates a new website where information about all current vacancies is maintained. Resumes, economic interest statements, and letters of recommendation from each applicant will be stored online and the site will include an open invitation to apply for a seat on one of the panels.

$300 More In Stimulus On The Way
Illinois has snagged $300 million additional federal stimulus dollars -- $25 million of which will be used in the Chicago area --  to move forward on a series of Army Corps of Engineers projects that will create more than 2,400 jobs.

Swine Flu Cases Mount
Dr. Damon Arnold, director of the Illinois Department of Public Health, has confirmed nine probable cases of swine flu, all of which are in northern Illinois. In response, the agency plans to double its stockpile of anti-viral drugs.

Stroger Dodges Accountability, Again
Cook County Board President Todd Stroger managed to avoid a public grilling in front of TV cameras last week by promising Commissioner Tim Schneider a private talk to answer questions about the scandal that led to the firing of his cousin, then-chief financial officer Donna Dunnings. Schneider never got that sit-down, so he's blasting Stroger for failing to come clean with the board and the public.

Burge Likely To Take The Stand
Lawyers for a convicted murderer who says he was beaten into confessing to the crime by Chicago police detectives under the command of disgraced former Cmdr. Jon Burge were given permission by a Cook County judge yesterday to subpoena Burge to testify at a hearing next month.

Nuns Win Access To Detainees
After Chicago-area religious workers pushed for access to undocumented detainees at a federal detention center in west suburban Broadview for more than two years, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency has agreed to allow their clergy to pray with immigrants on vans and buses outside the detention center before they are deported.

Image used under a Creative Commons license by Flickr user rossaroni.