* Economic forecasters see more job cuts ahead

* Illinois jobs vanish

The Illinois unemployment rate rose to 7.6 percent in December, the highest rate since June 1993 and up from 7.3 percent in November and 5.3 percent a year earlier, the Illinois Employment Security Department said Friday.

The state lost 36,000 jobs in December from a month earlier, marking the seventh consecutive month of job loss. Year-over-year, non-farm payroll dropped by 100,700 jobs. In November and December, the state lost a combined 73,600 jobs, the largest two-month decline since that recordkeeping began in 1990, the agency said.

* U.S. jobs bill short on transit funds, say three in House

* Illinois eager to claim Obama money for infrastructure

* Battle brewing over Illinois pensions

* Foreclosure Fightback

* Several hospitals in Chicago area give hefty price breaks to patients without medical insurance

Rush University Medical Center, for instance, will reduce hospital bills by 50 percent for any uninsured patient, regardless of their income or assets. Loyola University Medical Center lowers bills by 40 percent.

* Applying to U. of Illinois? Get in line

More than 25,000 students applied to attend the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign next fall, the most applications the state’s flagship public university has ever received.

* Par-A-Dice reduces work forces

Also announcing an unspecified number of layoffs was the Par-A-Dice Riverboat Casino in East Peoria.

“We did make minimal reductions at Par-A-Dice across the board in all departments,” said David Strow, a spokesman for Boyd Gaming Corp., the Las Vegas firm that owns the riverboat-hotel complex.

The economic downturn was cited as the reason for the cutback, he said.

“Par-A-Dice has been impacted by the same economic forces that have hit central Illinois and the rest of the country,” said Strow.

* A politician that keeps on Roland

* An End to Senate Appointments?

* Huberman to replace Arne Duncan?

CTA President Ron Huberman is among the leading contenders to succeed Arne Duncan as CEO of the nations third largest school system, sources said.

Huberman, who has been president of CTA since 2007, had previously served as Mayor Daley’s chief of staff. Before that, he was in the Chicago Police Department.

* Ca-ching

The city is getting $1.15 billion to outsource parking meter management over the next 75 years to Chicago Parking Meters LLC.

According to a schedule provided by the city Revenue Department, meter rates are expected to rise from $3 an hour in the Loop to $3.50 this year and $4.25 in 2010, then to $6.50 in 2013. At non-Loop, central business district meters, the rates will rise from $1 to $1.50 an hour to $2 an hour sometime this year, and up to $4 in 2013.

For parking in front of your neighborhood dry cleaner, the rates will climb from 25 cents an hour to 75 cents, then to $2 by 2013.

* When CTA driver runs light, you pay

Under a new CTA policy, the agency is paying the $100 fine for each red-light violation instead of requiring bus drivers who broke the law to hand over the cash

* Teen charged with impersonating cop after 5 hours on patrol

A 14-year-old aspiring police officer donned a uniform, walked into a Chicago police station and managed to get an assignment — patroling in a squad car for five hours before he was detected, police said Sunday.

* 2 more students file strip search lawsuits