State News
A 60-page report was produced in New Jersey serving as a guide to Newark's Muslims. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images) Chicago police chief refuses comment on spying on NY Muslims
NEWARK - A former New Jersey police chief is refusing to comment on his decision to allow the New York Police Department to monitor and catalog his city's Muslim neighborhoods.
Garry McCarthy was the Newark police chief in 2007, when the plainclothes NYPD officers fanned out across his city, taking pictures of mosques and eavesdropping on conversations in businesses frequented by Muslims.
Village President Bill Wilkey said he was devastated by the news and will fight the proposed prison closure. (Photo used under Creative Commons from Flickr user TourismGuy) Dwight village president vows to fight prison closure
DWIGHT - Officials in Dwight are trying to find out why Gov. Pat Quinn is proposing the closure of the Dwight Correctional Center.
The maximum security prison housing female inmates has a current population of just over 1,000. Village President Bill Wilkey said, though, he hears from guards at the prison that it's overcrowded as is.
The two anti-abortion bills passed out of committee and head to the House floor for a vote. (Illinois Statehouse News) House panel approves 2 anti-abortion measures
SPRINGFIELD - An Illinois House committee has approved tougher regulations for centers that perform abortions and a requirement that women view an ultrasound or refuse in writing before getting an abortion.
The bills passed overwhelmingly in the Agriculture Committee and now go to the House floor.
Sen. Dick Durbin says the U.S. House should be scrapped because it would stop funneling money to transit networks. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) Durbin backs Senate transportation bill
CHICAGO - Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin says Republicans in the U.S. House should start over rather than push forward with a troubled bill on long-term funding for transportation.
He said yesterday that the bill stands little chance of passing with so much opposition. Urban Democrats and Republicans alike worry the bill would put city transit agencies in jeopardy.
The Illinois Audubon Society reports 2,152 bald eagles counted in Illinois in January. (Photo by David Welker/Getty Images) Count shows slightly more bald eagles in Illinois
SPRINGFIELD - A new count shows there were slightly more bald eagles in Illinois this January compared with January of last year.
The Illinois Audubon Society released the numbers on Tuesday, saying there were 2,152 eagles counted. That's up from the 2,108 counted in January 2011. Surveyors use 44 routes in Illinois to count bald eagles. Of those, 29 are along the Mississippi River and nine on the Illinois River. Others are on the Ohio River, Wabash River, Crab Orchard Lake, Horseshoe Lake Conservation Area and Carlyle Lake.
Illinois is seeking a waiver to the federal No Child Left Behind Act. (Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images) Illinois readies plan on school accountability
SPRINGFIELD - Illinois has a plan to change the way it evaluates the progress of schools and students. The state is submitting it to the U.S. Department of Education.
The Illinois State Board of Education announced details of the plan Tuesday. Targets would be set for each school, each district and for subgroups of students. The goal would be to reduce achievement gaps and the percentage of students not making progress.
Gov. Pat Quinn will deliver his budget address Wednesday. (Photo used under Creative Commons from Flickr user ChrisEaves.com) Quinn to propose closing Dwight, Tamms prisons
SPRINGFIELD — Illinois could lose two prisons, including the state's only supermax facility, and 1,400 state jobs if lawmakers approve Gov. Pat Quinn's budget.
The governor's office unveiled the $33.9 billion spending plan that Quinn will deliver to lawmakers Wednesday at noon in the statehouse.
Gasoline could have more ethanol as a proposal for 15 percent blend is closer to approval. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images) 
Gov. Pat Quinn delivers his budget address Wednesday in a joint session of the General Assembly. (Illinois Statehouse News) Quinn to seek action on unpaid bills
SPRINGFIELD - Gov. Pat Quinn's budget proposal will include a call for closing unneeded tax loopholes as a way of generating cash to pay off Illinois' backlog of unpaid bills.
Quinn spokeswoman Brooke Anderson told The Associated Press yesterday that the governor envisions paying off the bills gradually. Illinois owes billions of dollars to businesses and community groups that work for the state.
State Treasurer Dan Rutherford says pension reform must be addressed in next year's state budget. (WJBC file photo) Rutherford: Budget cuts must include pensions
State Treasurer Dan Rutherford says he welcomes Governor Quinn's plan to bring state spending back to 2008 levels, but he says any serious discussion about reigning in state spending must include pension reform.
Quinn is expected to include significant cuts and facility closures in his budget proposal on Wednesday, but there haven't been many details.
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- Brady: Budget with tough cuts actually raises spending
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