* Fallen Marine from Creve Coeur returns home

Hundreds of people lined the streets Wednesday afternoon to pay their respects to Lance Cpl. Robert “R.J.” Newton as the hearse carrying his coffin was escorted to an East Peoria funeral home by Patriot Guard Riders and police.[…]

Newton, 21, was serving with 3rd Battalion, 7th Marines Regiment when he was killed Aug. 23. A 2007 graduate of East Peoria Community High School, he enlisted in the Marines after graduating and already had served one tour in Iraq.

* Illegal immigrants down, but not in Illinois

Illinois ranked No. 5 with an estimated 525,000 illegal immigrants in 2009, more than the approximately 475,000 in the state in 2008. The Pew analysts cautioned that their figures were based on a range of estimates, meaning that it is safer to say the Illinois illegal immigrant population was stable rather than to say it actually increased.

Nationwide, the total number of illegal immigrants has declined by about 1 million since 2007, to 11.1 million in 2009, representing about 4 percent of the U.S. population.

* Coverage begins for handful of Illinois uninsured

* FBI Plans Release of Rostenkowski Files

* Schoenburg: Good, bad and ‘interesting’ among D.C. delegation

U.S. Sen. DICK DURBIN, D-Ill., a Springfield resident, came out on top in two categories.

He is listed as the top “workhorse” in the Senate, with CHRISTOPHER DODD, D-Conn., coming in second. Republicans TOM COBURN of Oklahoma and CHUCK GRASSLEY of Iowa tied for third.[…]

He probably wouldn’t put it on his tombstone, but U.S. Sen. ROLAND BURRIS, D-Ill., came in first in the “clueless” category. There was a three-way tie for second — SCOTT BROWN, R-Mass.; JIM BUNNING, R-Ky.; and AL FRANKEN, D-Minn.

“Half the votes for ROD BLAGOJEVICH’s pick to replace BARACK OBAMA came from staffers in his own party,” the magazine said.

Burris was also third among senators in the “most likely to star in a scandal” category.[…]

On the House side, U.S. Rep. AARON SCHOCK, R-Peoria, who represents part of the Springfield area, was listed in four good categories and one interesting one. He’s third in the “rising star” list, behind Reps. PAUL RYAN, R-Wis., and DEBBIE WASSERMAN SCHULTZ, D-Fla. He’s the top male “hottie,” followed by Reps. MARTIN HEINRICH, D-N.M., and by Ryan and JEFF FLAKE, R-Ariz., who tied for third.

* FOP plans protest over Chicago police ‘dangerously low manpower’

A two-year hiring slowdown has left the Chicago Police Department more than 2,311 officers-a-day short of its authorized strength counting vacancies, medical leave and limited duty.

* Daley to consolidate department, cut jobs

The changes, effective Jan. 1, would merge the Mayor’s Office of Special Events and the Department of Culture Affairs. The Departments of Community Development and Zoning will also join forces. So will the Department of General Services and Graphics.

Daley acknowledged that jobs would be eliminated, but he refused to say how many. With retirements, he hopes to minimize the number of layoffs.

The mayor said he is also exploring the possibility of putting city inspectors now disbursed in several city departments under one roof to streamline a bureaucracy that’s inefficient and costly to developers.

* Daley wants to merge more city departments

* Daley to Merge Some City Departments to Save Money

* Chicago police chief criticized for ‘gang summit’

* Chicago Politicians React to Weis’ Meeting with Gang Members

* Quinn says meeting with gangs not ‘good strategy’

* Lieutenant Under Fire For Slamming Top Cop In Blog

* Murders down 40% after gang meetings in Cincy

David Kennedy — the New York professor behind a nearly 15-year-old law enforcement strategy of warning gang leaders to put their guns down or else — said he expects Chicago will see a dramatic decrease in killings after launching a pilot program here.

It has been done in about 60 jurisdictions across the country, including Cincinnati, where murders are down about 40 percent since 2007, Kennedy said.[…]

The idea was first tried in 1996 in Boston, where homicides fell nearly 30 percent in the program’s first six months.

* Gang members: Chicago’s top cop unfair

At 10 a.m. today, a group of black men will gather in front of the Columbus Park Refectory on the West Side to denounce Chicago Police Supt. Jody Weis’ threats to crack down on gang leaders.

These are not the usual suspects.

They aren’t ministers leading a march. Nor are they activists and politicians rallying constituents around a cause.

They are men who are affiliated with some of the city’s most notorious street gangs. They are Vice Lords, Gangster Disciples, Kings, Stones, Hustlers, Souls and Cobras.

* Shooting of cops highlights gang woes

* Aldermen like Obama friend for CHA chairman

James Reynolds Jr.’s nomination by Mayor Richard Daley to the CHA was approved without dissent by the City Council Housing Committee. It now goes to the full City Council for consideration next week. Reynolds would replace Martin Nesbitt, a close Obama friend and adviser, atop the CHA board. Reynolds said Daley knows he will actively seek to improve public housing conditions in Chicago.

* CPS Builds New High School, Private Company Manages the Rest

Mayor Richard Daley and other officials on Wednesday toured Eric Solorio Academy High School, and Daley reminded everyone who picked up the more than $100 million price tag.

DALEY: Remember, this is all city money. Not state or federal government. This is taxpayers in the city of Chicago. They’re paying for modern schools across Chicago.

It might be taxpayer money, but the school will be managed by a private company. Schools chief Ron Huberman says the Academy of Urban School Leadership, or AUSL, will run the school and act as a sort of teaching laboratory.

* CPS Principals Feeling ‘Lost at Sea’ Without Chief Education Officer

* Urban League Finds Jackson’s Replacement

* Stroger again skirts board approval in payments

Cook County Board President Todd Stroger’s administration acknowledged Wednesday that 25 checks worth more than $6.7 million were paid out before receiving the required board approval.

The board moved to ratify the transactions retroactively at its scheduled meeting Wednesday, but Democratic Chicago Commissioner John Daley, head of the finance committee, said, “I’m very concerned that this is a true violation of the board’s intent.”

* Ch. 2’s Bill Kurtis & Walter Jacobson back, but a bit rusty

* ‘Old dogs’ Bill & Walter reclaim their spots on CBS 2

* Mediator added to Tribune Co. bankruptcy mix

* The Tribune’s Next Big Idea

If it works it’ll be wonderful — a weekly special edition stuffed with premium content, tentatively called Five Star. From what I hear — not that anyone at the Tribune is doing much talking — the idea is to publish on Sunday and offer it to Tribune subscribers for $5, which is $1 less than the cost of the Sunday New York Times.

* Tribune gets bankruptcy mediator; develops new Sunday edition

* Flood victims spend hours in line for food aid

As part of the process to qualify for aid, applicants must explain what kind of unreimbursed, disaster-related damage occurred at their home or business from July 22 through Aug. 20. Applicants also can state expenses or loss of income due to flooding.

* Navistar confirms renewed interest in Lisle site

* Caterpillar to expand manufacturing in Brazil

Caterpillar says the Campo Largo facility will produce backhoes and small-wheel loaders used in construction. It is expected to begin production during 2011, and it will employ as many as 1,000 people at full capacity.

* Ameren changes names of subsidiaries

* Stone questions legal bills in from hearing on recall case

Buffalo Grove Trustee Lisa Stone is concerned about the size of the bill from the attorney hired as special counsel to the local electoral board hearing her challenge to the petition for her recall.

But Village President Elliott Hartstein defended the $11,000 bill from attorney Richard Martens at Monday’s village board meeting.

Among Stone’s concerns are the more than $5,000 Martens billed the village for work done even before she objected to a small fraction of the signatures on the petition filed by citizen David Wells.

Stone is up for recall in the November election. More than 2,000 signatures, double the number required, were collected by Wells. In a special hearing, nearly 90 signatures challenged by Stone were stricken.

* Carol Stream may inspect condos following collapse

* Carol Stream looks into flood relief

* LaGrange Park residents sound off on flood issues

* Kane state’s attorney submits resumé for judgeship, may resign

* City of Freeport decides not to appeal judge’s ruling

After intense debate, Freeport’s City Council votes to drop its appeal of a referendum issue that will be on the November ballot. It asks residents if they want the city to hire a City Manager to run the city under the direction of the council and mayor.

A city attorney said the referendum sets the city up for a lawsuit if it passes. In her legal opinion it takes the authority to make laws and ordinances away from the city council. A judge already disagreed with the city though, and said the voters should be able to make that decision.

* State tax payment bolsters Loves Park’s operating fund

* Size, pay may be involved in Winnebago County Board reform

* Proposal wipes out Winnebago County’s projected shortfall

Administrators presented the proposed 2011 budget Tuesday during a County Board Finance Committee meeting. The budget proposal closes what was a projected $3 million budget gap earlier this year. Administrators propose cutting spending for personnel, supplies and services, and predict healthier revenues for certain taxes and fees.

* [Peoria] to receive federal retiree subsidy

* CAT dedicates new Arkansas road grader facility; Decatur pinning hopes on mining truck production

* New DeWitt Co. sheriff to take oath today

* Pantagraph: Violations show lack of attention to public access

Within the past month, the Pontiac Elementary District 429 school board and the LeRoy City Council were each told by the public access counselor in the attorney general’s office that they violated the Illinois Open Meetings Act.

* More budget cuts are on the way in Champaign

* State’s attorney Schmidt appointed to circuit judgeship

* Edwards questions Davlin administration budget approach

* Republican McGlynn to replace Democrat O’Malley as circuit judge

* Former So. Ill. attorney suspected of smuggling heroin-filled condoms into prison