Statewide update—March 11, 2011

Peoria Journal Star—Editorial: Senate bill an unnecessary assault on open government, “Under a bill set to be debated soon on the Senate floor – SB 1645 – government bodies could get far more time to consider requests for public records from folks they’ve deemed to be pests… Those would be citizens who file more than 15 requests for records in a year, or five within a month, or five total that fit under the subjective definition of burdening a government body.”

• (Gatehouse News Service) Peoria Journal Star—Gun owners rally for rights at Illinois Capitol, “Their message: Let us carry concealed firearms, and keep the fact that we have FOID cards private.”

• (AP) SouthtownStar—ComEd rate hike under fire, “The elderly and unemployed showed up at an ICC hearing on Thursday asking regulators to reject a rate increase and a pilot surcharge. Together, they would add $5.25 to an average resident’s monthly bill of $86.”

• Chicago Sun-Times—Editorial: More ways to make criminal justice fair, “Reforms still are needed to protect the innocent from unjust prosecution and to free up the system to pursue the guilty.”