* WHEATON raises sales tax, plans more budget cuts

* Study: Illinois has 230,000 dropouts

* Just one Illinois high school dropout costs $221,000

* Ruling could remove smoking ban cases from courts

After reviewing regulations the state health department proposed to process smoking cases, however, Hollerich said it appeared that local law enforcement agencies only had the authority to report the results of compliance checks to the state, not to bring charges in circuit courts.

* No politicking for U. of I. staff? Button it, prof says

* Tollway chief set to announce resignation

Illinois State Toll Highway Authority chief Brian McPartlin is expected to announce his resignation today after running the state’s tollway for just under two years, sources told the Daily Herald.

* Blagojevich Gets Another Shot at Mass Transit Fare Subsidies

* Gov. Rod Blagojevich seeks disaster-area declaration for flooding

* Democratic state’s attorney hopeful defends donations by subordinates

“I am not breaking any laws or any ethics rules,” Alvarez said during a joint meeting with Peraica before the Tribune’s editorial board. “Maybe it’s not good enough, but I think the real issues that are affecting the county today are not whether or not my friend for 20 years gave me $50. It’s about guns and gangs and drugs and the violence that’s permeating this city.”

* U.S. Attorney Rants on Lack of Community Relations

FITZGERALD: The biggest threat to community relations is having people dominated by a gang, who can’t go to school and work and do what they want to do. And if there’s gangs in neighborhoods, we’re going after them. If the gang’s in Little Village, we’ll go after there them. If the gangs move to Evanston, we’ll do them in Evanston. If they move to the Gold Coast or if they move to Wilmette, we’ll go after gangs where they are.

* Assessments, tax bills should go down

* Ameren rate-hike decision criticized

* ICC approves Ameren rate increase

* Madigan blasts ICC for approving Ameren rate hikes

“This decision puts the interests of utilities ahead of consumers at a time when Illinois families can least afford it,” Madigan said in a statement. “Unfortunately, this decision is yet another example of the Illinois Commerce Commission approving higher rates for utilities and giving consumers the short end of the stick.”

* No Sale

There are quite a few newspapers for sale these days. But there don’t seem to be many buyers.

* A former newsman faces home foreclosure

* Illinois’ forgotten middle-skill jobs

* Standing ovation for new CTA cars?

The CTA began testing the cars Sept. 12 on the Brown Line. The transit agency pulled 12 to 14 seats out of the cars to accommodate an extra 20 standing riders during rush hour.

* Daley: Set Chicago cop free

* Mayor Richard Daley asks Iowa Gov. Chet Culver to pardon convicted officer

* City seeing more crime, fewer cops

* Condemn hospital: alderman

* Burke’s debt plan

* Vote No: Con Con is a Con

* Rerun: Will Con-con question disenfranchise IL voters?

* Illinois State Rifle Association Urges Hunters and Sportsmen to Oppose Constitutional Convention

* State largely backs coal’s comeback

Unified support also represents a positive sign in state politics, said Dan Reitz, D-Steeleville.

“It seems to be the one bright spot in the last year and a half or so,” he said, adding support for coal has united downstate Democrats and Republicans in the General Assembly, as well as top administration.