Statewide Update—Jan. 21, 2011

• Bloomington Pantagraph—AG: Pontiac school board broke meeting law, “For the second time in less than a year, the Illinois attorney general’s office has notified the Pontiac Elementary District 429 that its board violated the terms of the state Open Meetings Act.”

• State Journal-Register—Opinion: Clean house in workers’ comp agency, “A study by the Oregon Department of Consumer and Business Services ranked Illinois’ workers’ comp premiums third highest in the nation for 2010.”

• Chicago Tribune—Watchdog: Cook County employees were pressured for $100 Todd Stroger fundraiser, “A Cook County Bureau of Human Resources manager pressured employees to contribute at least $100 each to a fundraiser last fall for outgoing County Board President Todd Stroger, a county watchdog reported Thursday.”

• State Journal-Register—Not all roads get salt in bad weather, “State highways and county roads usually receive doses of salt to remove ice, but many township road commissioners use no salt. Most cite cost as the reason, and they add that the practice isn’t new.”

• Trib Local (Joliet)—Will County Sheriif’s Office to offer online report filings, “Residents can file reports for minor crimes and incidents via the Will County Sheriff’s Office website starting Monday.”

• Trib Local (Oak Park/River Forest)—Oak Park considers eliminating, replacing some commissions, “Oak Park officials are looking to reconfigure, and even scale back, some of their volunteer commissions as many struggle to keep the positions full.”

• Daily Herald—Fiscal woes widen between county board and circuit court clerk, “The number of employees in Seyller’s office is at the heart of the disagreement.”

• Southtown Star—SD 225 strips principal of his duties, “A Rich Township High School District 227 administrator—who is suing the district and who was at the center of a monthslong controversy after a photo of him was burned at a party attended by Rich Central staff—has been stripped of his duties as principal.”

• State Journal-Register—Coroner’s jury rules Davlin death a suicide, “But inquest proceedings shed no light on why Davlin, 53, shot himself. Police investigators and the Sangamon County coroner’s office have not released records that could answer whether the mayor’s apparent financial difficulties prompted the suicide.”