Gov. Pat Quinn is expected to sign
a bill tomorrow to allow doctors and dentists licensed in other states
to volunteer their services without obtaining state authorization, a
change that supporters contend will directly benefit the state's 1.6
million uninsured residents.
Another key witness took the stand in Rod Blagojevich's
corruption trial today. Fundraiser and former Illinois Finance Authority
executive director Ali Ata testified that he was given his state job only after donating $50,000 to the governor's campaign fund in 2002.
State regulators are moving to repeal the licenses of seven nursing homes in Illinois, including one that is partially owned by State Sen. Heather Steans (D-Chicago).
The state unemployment rate dropped slightly to 10.8 percent in May after five months of job
growth, a trend that state officials say should give residents "cautious
optimism."
As the controversy over GOP U.S. Senate candidate Mark Kirk's
military record appears to be dying down, Alexi Giannoulias' campaign
is raising questions about how Kirk describes his experience as a teacher. After being tipped off to the issue, the New York Times found "more imprecise references ... as it reviewed his [Kirk's] background."
Although the judge presiding over Rod Blagojevich's corruption trial says he won't issue a gag order ( as requested by federal prosecutors), he did warn
the defendant about comments he made in a news conference Tuesday and
asked attorneys to reach an agreement over the weekend on what they
could and couldn't say in public.
Jon Burgeannounced in court Wednesday he will take the stand
at his federal perjury trial, possibly today, to testify that he did
not condone or participate in the torture of suspects during his tenure
as a Chicago Police commander.
The Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals ruled yesterday
that the U.S. Constitution requires Illinois to hold a special election
for the U.S. Senate seat currently held by Roland Burris.
Illinois' own Sen. Dick Durbin is requesting information on how Peabody Energy Corporation is guarding the safety
of its workers at an Illinois mine that has paid $230,000 in safety
violation fines since 2008. Last week a panel that deals with disputes
over mining violations had agreed to speed up its review of this
particular mine after federal regulators argued that workers are threatened by the conditions.
