Statewide Update—Feb. 1, 2011

• (AP) State Journal Register—BGA gets $1 million for its good-government fight, “A watchdog group that fights government corruption in Illinois has received a $1 million gift to continue its advocacy efforts.”

• (AP) State Journal Register—Inspector: IDOT supervisor traded jobs for favors, “A state inspector says a supervisor at the Illinois Transportation Department pressured employees to give him gifts if they wanted good work assignments.”

• (AP) State Journal Register—Illinois minorities more likely to do time for drugs, “Minorities in Illinois face stiffer and more frequent punishment for low-level drug offenses than whites, a government commission reported Monday, and some experts question whether prison is the proper place for such offenders.”

• Peoria Journal Star—Citizen picked to serve on Joint Review Board, “The board will provide communication and suggestions for the East Village Growth Cell’s tax increment financing (TIF) district.”

• Trib Local (Downers Grove)—Dist. 58 board member says complaint shouldn’t exclude him from tax talks, “A closed door meeting of the Downers Grove Dist. 58 school board ground to a halt after board member Scott O’Connell declined to recuse himself from discussions about property tax complaints filed against the district…”

Statewide Update—Jan. 10, 2011

• Rockford Register Star—Area legislators to continue public appearances despite Arizona shooting, “Six people were killed and 14 wounded when a gunman opened fire Saturday morning outside a Safeway grocery store in Tucson as Giffords met with constituents.”

• Chicago Sun-Times—State tax-hike plan fails to win over Dems, “…House members also moved to scale back the Blagojevich-era program that lets all senior citizens ride for free on public trains and buses.”

• State Journal-Register—No vote yet on taxes; bill would limit workers’ bargaining rights, “Taking aim at the increasing number of state workers joining unions, an Illinois House committee approved legislation Sunday designed to strip collective bargaining rights from certain workers and stop others from getting them.”

• The Southern—State budget crisis fueled Medicaid reform efforts, “A long-awaited state Medicaid reform proposal, approved Friday in the Illinois Legislature with a House vote of 111-4, was likely fueled by the state’s financial crisis, said a local state lawmaker.”

• Southtown Star—Rich Miller: Illinois Democrats get chance to draw own district maps, “The new maps probably are the least interesting aspect of politics to voters, but incumbents and wannabes watch this as close as they can for obvious reasons. So, you should, too.”

• Chicago Sun-Times—The Watchdogs: Convicted but still on city payroll, “Nine former city employees were paid a total of $383,205 after they pleaded guilty or were found guilty in corruption cases, records show.”

• Peoria Journal Star—Word on the Street: Very little opposition to new TIF proposal, “A public hearing on the East Village Growth Cell is scheduled for 6:15 p.m. Tuesday at City Hall.”