* A not-so-crazy proposal…

BY HENRY BAYER

The legislature has adjourned for the spring, its last act to enact a budget in the final hours of the session. Once again the General Assembly passed that fiscal blueprint without the governor’s input, a sign of continued political dysfunction at the state Capitol.

The only difference between the last two sessions is that this year, legislators were determined to avoid the long overtime session that kept them in Springfield through most of last summer

* Cubs documents: Wrigley condition not dire

* Lights out on a bad idea

* Palatine adjusts for Stroger

The Palatine Village Council voted to move up the start time of its next meeting in order to attend the Monday community forum led by Cook County Board President Todd Stroger at Harper College. The council, which has no affiliation with the event, will meet at 6 p.m. Monday at Village Hall, 200 E. Wood St. Palatine officials say they hope to learn exactly what services the county provides and the reasons behind a recent tax rate hike. The Stroger meeting is scheduled to take place from 7 to 9 p.m. at Palatine college’s Wojcik Conference Center.

* Manufacturers demand more at state, local levels

* Would-be O’Hare designers get update

* Pension aid legislation headed to governor’s desk

‘What really prompted it is the $4 billion in unfunded liability shared by these municipal pension funds,'’ said Joe McCoy, spokesman for the Illinois Municipal League. ‘’This legislation is of critical importance to become law because we can’t begin to solve these problems before we have the tools to do so.

* Bill to help spousal caregivers on hold

* Sex offender law sent to governor

Dillard said that while the new law will make it a felony for a child sex offender to knowingly live with 500 feet of a home-based day care, “Enforcement will be up to local police departments.”

* Illinois GOP elects national convention representatives

* Illinois Republican Party Chairman Andy McKenna joins Don Wade & Roma

* Interview with State Rep. Jim Durkin

* NTSB says Illinois must pick up pace, fix crossing

* Man is convicted in Carol Moseley Braun attack

* Area Hispanics to meet with McCain

* School rally at Soldier Field seeks more money for anti-violence programs in Chicago

* 30,000 kids attend city’s ‘largest civics lesson‘

* Daley Grant Park cartoon

* Daley says he’s not offended by Northwestern students

* Daley ‘amused’ at negative NU student reaction

“It’s college students. They always dissent. They have to. That’s part of life. We all did that. I was amused by it,” Daley said.

* Unite and Conquer

You don’t need to wait until aldermen approve the plan to move the Chicago Children’s Museum to Grant Park to get a glimpse of how the city’s executive and legislative branches continue to merge.

* Chicago to vote on moving museum to lakefront park

* Still fighting over museum location

* City Council action expected today on Children’s Museum

* Our can-do mayor comes with a price

Aldermen must reject the museum plan, if only to show voters that we live in a democracy, where such quaint concepts as the people’s will matters, and not the whims of one man intent on getting his way, no matter how poor the plan, no matter how high the cost.

* Original Beatles drummer coming to Benton this fall