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.”

Statewide update—Feb. 23, 2011

Chicago Sun-Times—Big problems, painful solutions could seal Emanuel’s fate as one-termer, “Rahm Emanuel’s victory gives him a running start on confronting problems so severe, the painful solutions could seal his fate as a one-termer.”

• Northwest Herald—More bills to take on FOIA, “State lawmakers since Feb. 8 have filed at least seven bills aimed at rolling back improvements to the Illinois Freedom of Information and Open Meetings acts that took effect in 2010.”

• SouthtownStar—State judicial board files complaint against Markham judge, “The Illinois Judicial Inquiry board has filed a complaint against a Cook County judge, alleging he tried to influence the outcome of a colleague’s case on behalf of his mechanic.”

• Peoria Journal Star—Editorial: Don’t allow utilities to write their own rate hike rules, “Com-Ed wants the state to authorize regular rate increases for consumers and greater control for the utility in setting its profit margin.”

• Chicago Tribune—Lake County coroner quite, pleads guilty in drug fatality case, “Lake County Coroner Richard Keller pleaded guilty to two felony charges Tuesday and resigned his position after an investigation into a patient’s death at a methadone clinic.”

• The Southern—Court dumps woman’s bid for bigger pension, “A woman involved in a government corruption case cannot collect pension benefits based on what she earned as part of an illegal kickback scheme, a state appeals court has ruled.”

• The Southern—TIF districts create work for assessors, “Towns within Williamson County that have approved tax increment finance districts to propel economic development by way of property improvements have created an excessive amount of work for the county clerk and tax assessing offices, a county official said.”