Results tagged “springfield”

Some officials believe building a land-based casino could provide help during Chicago's financial crisis but Mayor Daley has some reservations that must be met first.

Earlier this year, lawmakers and Gov. Pat Quinn decided, in the midst of a state budget crisis, to cut funding for the MAP grants financial aid program, and fund only half of the $440 million program, just enough to get the quarter of Illinois' college students that rely on MAP through the first half of the school year. If lawmakers don't restore the funds during their fall session in Springfield this week, the 137,000 undergraduates could find their educations at risk.

Last week, we posted about Patty Henken, a woman who found what was purported to be a treasure map to a stash of $250 gold coins somewhere in Springfield. Her search had turned up empty and now it seems it may have been a prank, albeit one from the afterlife. The note Henken found attached to an antique chair was signed by "Chauncey Wolcott." But it now appears as if Wolcott was nothing more than the creation of a jokester who loved pulling odd pranks. According to the Tribune:

A postal worker in Mount Sterling set off to find treasure allegedly buried in Springfield. According to WBBM:

• A Decatur man has been arrested for plotting to blow up a federal courthouse in Springfield.
• Mayor Daley called the safety violations the FAA took O'Hare International Airport to task for "not very significant."
• This whole Cubs sale is one step closer to being done.

More than 150,000 Illinois college students who depend on grant money to complete their degrees may be forced to drop out of school since MAP grants were cut from the state budget, says CBS2. A Monetary Award Program (MAP) grant is awarded by the state and covers tuition and mandatory fees for students who demonstrate financial need. Chicago State University students are most dependent on MAP grants and students like Emerald Clark told CBS2 she won't be able to stay in school, "I really need to try and show my sister and brother there's something different than selling drugs. I'm really trying to go to school." And CSU student Soujoud Saleh said, "Any other grants by itself are not enough to pay the whole tuitions and even the book supplies, and every semester everything is getting more expensive." CSU students are pleading directly with lawmakers to restore the grants but will have to wait until at least mid-October until lawmakers return to Springfield.

• Michael Jackson's death has been ruled a homicide.
• It was a clout-y first day of the Fall 2009 term at the University of Illinois today.
• Bensenville's village president has conceded the fight against O'Hare expansion but is still expressing concern for effects on the city's maintenance.

State Comptroller Dan Hynes is saying there's still time to save payments to state workers in spite of the fact there's no budget and state lawmakers are waiting until July 14 to return to Springfield, one day before the next checks are scheduled to go out. Hynes says the payroll will be ready to go in case a budget is finalized. In addition, Hynes told WBEZ that social services won't be hurt until later in the summer since money is not immediately delivered, even when the state has a working budget: "If they provided services today, by the time they got their paperwork into the agency and it's submitted to our office, and with the cashflow delays we're having, we're talking several months. So that's why the day-to-day social services don't have a real, hard-and-fast deadline like a payroll does." It's the first time we've heard a "Don't Panic" from a state official, but it's being drowned out by the political posturing of those in charge of putting together the budget.

The first exhibit of a new museum dedicated to the Korean War -- the first of its kind in the nation -- opened in Springfield yesterday.

Illinois is where campaign contributions go Beyond Thunderdome.* There are absolutely no limits when it comes to statewide races, and as it stands right now, it's essentially "any check, any time, anywhere." We've seen how well that's worked out under Governor Blagojevich. If Illinois has ever been ready for campaign finance reform, it's now - so will it happen?

All eyes are on Springfield as the General Assembly debates legislation affecting mental health funding in Chicago and Illinois.

Now that the unpleasantness has been taken care of, it's safe for President Barack Obama to return to Springfield without too much of a fear of taint. Obama will be in Springfield next Thursday, February 12, to celebrate Lincoln's 200th birthday. From announcing his candidacy on the steps of the state capitol (exactly where Lincoln delivered his famed House Divided speech), to the concert at the Lincoln Memorial, to replicating the Lincoln's at his inaugural luncheon, Obama has been a very vocal fan and studier of Honest Abe, so his birthday visit surprises absolutely no one. According to Sen. Dick Durbin's office, President Obama will be attending the Abraham Lincoln Association's annual Lincoln birthday banquet. In a statement, Sen. Durbin said, "Last week, our state proudly looked to Washington once again as another son of Illinois took the presidential oath of office. As our country's economic challenges grow, President Barack Obama will be called on to show leadership and courage similar to that shown by Lincoln during one of the most difficult periods in our history." In case you missed it, check out yesterday's interview of President Obama with NBC's Matt Lauer from the Super Bowl pre-game show.

The city of Springfield is looking to recoup $50,000 in expenses from the Obama campaign stemming from his August 23 rally to announce Senator Joe Biden as his running mate. City spokesman Ernie Slottag said, "The mayor (Timothy Davlin) is looking at all our finances and would like to recover whatever costs we can." The Obama campaign offered no comment. Obama's campaign was not billed for his February 2007 rally that announced his candidacy, but, according to Slottag, Springfield didn't "keep track of separate expenses for that event." Aaron Schock, a Republican candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives (18th district), held a rally in Springfield earlier this year that included an appearance by President Bush. Schock told a radio station the party plans to pay Springfield $38,000 for expenses related to that event.

A 39-year-old Springfield man was charged yesterday with three counts of tattooing minors without a parent's consent.

Illinois Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias wants federal prosecutors to look into what he claims is a scheme by a GOP powerbroker to scam millions of dollars from the state of Illinois. According to Giannoulias, Republican lobbyist Bill Cellini crafted a deal in the 1980s with then-governor Jim Thompson to secure a $15 million loan from the state to build and buy the Ramada Renaissance in Springfield, which later became the President Abraham Lincoln Hotel and Conference Center. The loan stipulated that the owners wouldn't have to repay the state-funded mortgage until they turned a profit.

Remember the budget clusterfuck down in Springfield last year, that sent the legislative session well into overtime and threatened to shut down state government? Well get ready for more of the same this year. With less than two weeks until the budget deadline, there are a large number of unresolved issues that one legislator is saying will take a "miracle" to resolve. The Daily Herald interviewed several suburban state senators and representatives who agreed:

"We'll be here forever," groaned state Rep. Mark Beaubien Jr., a Barrington Hills Republican.

And don't forget, last year's overtime cost us over $1 million. But since Illinois is so flush with cash, that's cool, right? [D-H]

Tony Rezko's upcoming trial on fraud charges is sure to be sensational, with a veritable who's who of Illinois politicians listed in the indictment, including a sitting governor and a presidential candidate. Key to the prosecution is the government's star witness, Stuart Levine, whom Rezko's defense team has been trying to discredit as a drug user. Those allegations just got, um, sexier yesterday afternoon.