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Illinois

* Steinberg: The anonymous cruelty of the Web

* Lottery a trusted source of income for state

In the last fiscal year, Illinois sold a record $2.08 billion in tickets. The state’s profit was $625 million. And Illinois Lottery Acting Superintendent Jodie Winnett said so far this year, the lottery is on pace to increase ticket sales by more than 6 percent.

* Illinois gambles on private management to increase lottery sales

As officials with Gov. Pat Quinn’s administration envision it, the deal would allow a private manager to be paid a percent of lottery profits. The company could increase its earnings if it grows revenues by boosting marketing, adding new games such as keno or Internet lottery sales and finding so-called “efficiencies” in operating costs.

* Privatization appeals in tight economic times

State officials are in the midst of crafting a deal that could translate into a $1 billion deal for the state.

* Reputation dogs officials seeking proposals

Hoping to avoid the corruption that brought down Illinois’ two previous governors, the Quinn administration has attempted to make sure companies involved in the potentially lucrative transaction won’t benefit from insider deals.

For example, the company selected to write the bidding documents for the $1 billion deal would be barred from any business relationship with whoever is chosen as the manager for a year after the management contract is awarded.

Companies wanting to serve as the state’s lottery consultant also were required to disclose all of their business relationships.

* State hopes to sell online lottery plan to the Justice Department

Illinois officials are confident their plans will satisfy the federal government. So their real interest in negotiating with them is over the idea of selling lottery tickets online.

* Quinn hands out nearly 150 pardons

Quinn has roughly 2,450 clemency requests still awaiting his attention, including about 1,800 from Blagojevich’s era, Jentz said.

* Quinn pardons 147 on Good Friday

* Quinn pardons 147; backlog still over 2,400

* Illinois Gov. Quinn pardons 147 in Friday-afternoon announcement

* Gov. Quinn Grants Nearly 150 Pardons

* 3 from Sangamon County pardoned by governor

* Some Positive GOP Reaction to Quinn’s Youth Prison Order

* Retired judge leads state’s juvenile justice system

* Tollway finalizes choice of leader

Lafleur will start April 19 after leaving her job as Gov. Pat Quinn’s deputy chief of staff for economic development and recovery.

* Former Gov. Quinn staffer voted to lead tollway

* Rightward, ho: What’s behind state Democrats’ sudden shift?

Such a combination of actions could remove or at least weaken many planks of Brady’s campaign before he even gets into the heart of campaign season.

* Illinois Lawmakers Approve Business Tax Break

* McCormick Place Legislative Hearings Continue This Week

* State Lawmaker: Use Subsidies For McCormick Place

* Finke: No saving state’s bond rating?

The (pension) changes were approved, and within days two rating services issued reports critical of Illinois’ efforts. That’s not to say the pension changes were a wasted effort. They weren’t. In fact, Fitch Ratings mentioned the pension changes as a plus for Illinois.

* Steve Preckwinkle: Pension ‘solution’ didn’t fix anything

* News-Gazette: Pension payments unsustainable

* What does spring break really mean in Springfield?

Perhaps they are filming a new spring break episode of “Budget Gone Wild,” in which inmates are released early from prison to find the state police force has been reduced by 30 percent because of budget problems. This film has not yet been rated.

* [Springfield] legislators’ scorecards show hits, misses

* [Peoria] legislators evaluate status of their proposals

* [Rockford] Lawmakers ready bills for session’s second half

* State begins effort to conform to new health laws

* New law makes state burn money on penny-ante bills

* Patients hoping for law to legalize medical uses

* State hopes to snuff out e-cigarette sales

* Area sheriffs concerned about state police cutbacks

Fewer troopers also mean less money coming into the counties from traffic citations, as well as fines associated with misdemeanor and felony criminal cases.

According to the Sangamon County circuit clerk’s office, fines assessed by the Illinois State Police within the county increased from $368,700 in 2005 to $541,740 in 2008. Last year, the figure fell to $427,070.

* Sweeny: Andrzejewski says state audit would find ways to save

* Hillard’s security firm branching out to consult police departments, cities

Terry Hillard retired from the Chicago Police Department in 2003, and Arnette Heintze from the Secret Service the same year. Their Chicago-based firm now employs 85 people in offices across the country.

* Budgeting by Democracy: is Chicago Ready for it?

* Cook County Bids Might Go Online

* Steely Plan: Ald. Jackson Wants Condos on Old Steel Works

* Ald. Wants To Employ High-Tech Crackdown Vs. Guns

Fifth Ward Ald. Leslie Hairston isn’t ready to call in troops, but she says now is the time to implement ShotSpotter, which is a camera-based gunshot-location system that is designed to pinpoint a shooter’s location within seconds.

* Civil rights icon, professor Madhubuti ‘forced’ out at CSU

* Mitchell: Where’s the support for Madhubuti?

* Community colleges serve more students with less cash

Illinois’ two-year colleges have seen average spring enrollment jump nearly 8 percent over last year, and enrollment was up 3 percent in 2009. Several campuses have seen double-digit gains, including Highland Community College in Freeport, where enrollment is up 21 percent this spring.

* UIS not sold on three-year degrees

* Report: College remains elusive for many Hispanic men

* Our View: Year-round schools a good option for educational success

* Tape shows how SD 227 board manipulated schools chief pick

* DuPage Co. thorium cleanup payments stalled

* [Park City] Pay hikes scratched as budget’s squeezed

* Evanston among 1,100 cities hoping for Google ultra high-speed network

* Aurora lagging in census response

* New R.I. police chief up to the task

* Galesburg may target smoking ban

Enforcement of the state smoking ban, which was instituted over two years ago, has been patchy. But if the proposal to allow administrative tickets to be administered for smoking violations is approved by the City Council, it would make it easier for local police to enforce the law.

* Pekin unemployment rate on the rise

* Reward offered for info in Ill. mayor’s killing

* Carlinville City Council to consider raising sales tax

* Taxpayers likely to help fund ex-gov’s defense

What are the chances that the remaining $1.4 million will cover all of the ex-governor’s legal bills through his trial?

“Zero,” predicts Ron Safer, a former federal prosecutor who served as chief of the criminal division of the U.S. attorney’s office in Chicago and is now managing partner of the law firm Schiff Hardin LLP. “It won’t cover costs. They will go to public funds.”

* The accidental celebrity

Patti’s family — brother, Richard; sister, state Rep. Deborah Mell; and father, Chicago Ald. Dick Mell — is tight. They describe Patti as a loving mother, daughter, wife and sister. Loyal. And they are just as loyal to her, with plans to do whatever Patti needs from attending the trial to helping with the girls.

* Magazine sponsors Blago portrait contest; may be the only one

* Trump fires Blago on ‘Celebrity Apprentice’

* Rod, you’re fired…. again: Back to reality for embattled former governor

* Blago, You’re Fired

posted by Rich Miller
Monday, Apr 5, 10 @ 8:57 am

Comments

Two things about the sale of the lottery,
1. If the State made a PROFIT of $625 Million last year, why would we sell it for $1000 Million ($1 Billion) over 10 years. It seems like we could make at least that much in 2 years by keeping it ourselves.
2. Due to inflation, we would never actually see $1B in today’s valuation of money.

Ultimately, this seems like a major fiscal mistake.

Comment by BusinessStudent Monday, Apr 5, 10 @ 9:10 am
Whatever Rod hoped to gain by being on Apprentice backfired. He came off as having no clue how to manage a project, and was made fun of by the other contestants for the last four weeks.

Comment by Nick Adams Monday, Apr 5, 10 @ 9:11 am
I heard the pardon story on the radio this morning and it sounded like the press release was really heavy on, this is Quinn cleaning up Blago’s mess. Uhh, Mr. Quinn, you were in the Blago administration for 6 years, it is your mess. You don’t get extra points for fixing the problem the hack you ran with twice created. Brady needs to contantly remind the voters that Quinn was in the Blago administration. Can we really live with a Governor that was accross the hall from Rod for 6 years whose best defense is that he had no idea what was going on and was not a part of any governmental decisions?

Comment by the Patriot Monday, Apr 5, 10 @ 9:38 am
Correction: front page on their website. Haven’t seen a print edition this morning.

Comment by Pre Monday, Apr 5, 10 @ 10:29 am
Something tells me the Attorney General is about to take a keen interest in SD 227.

Comment by Yellow Dog Democrat Monday, Apr 5, 10 @ 10:48 am
I just wanted to kick off comments with good wishes to both generations of Riches. Hope this week is better than last week, and that next week is better than this one.

Comment by Boone Logan Square Monday, Apr 5, 10 @ 10:56 am
The decision to shift juvenile corrections to DCFS (apparently) is puzzling, since the best way to reform an agency is to leave it out in the open, so to speak, not hidden within another, larger agency. Or maybe that’s the idea. DCFS itself back in 90’s was the subject of much criticism, and yet various proposals to fold it into Human Services were sidelined because child welfare advocates didn’t like the idea of burying it out of sight. It’s hard to reform an agency when you have to burrow around through layers and layers of political hacks to find out who can actually effect change–or even wants to.

DCFS itself is hardly a model agency despite the many billions which taxpayers have poured into it since the ACLU sued it 20 years ago. The upper echelons are awash in connected Democrats, featherbedding is rampant in its many-layered and duplicative management ranks,and the agency’s child protection failures are recounted frequently in the media. The feds cited Illinois last year for excessive recidivism in its child maltreatment program. This isn’t just embarrassing and costly (the federal citations come with a fine).Kids are getting hurt–unncessarily.

One thing we can be sure of is that this merger will result in even more highly paid political hacks getting appointed by our Pat to “coordinate.” The current head of the juvenile authority, a Blago appointee, has had five years to turn things around. He probably has some plausible excuses but his job is to get things done despite the obstacles. He hasn’t. He’ll probably get kept on though (our Pat has trouble bringing himself to drop Blago appointees) and get a new, even higher-paid boss. More layers, more bosses, more money. No change. It’s a Democratic world here in Illinois after all.

Comment by cassandra Monday, Apr 5, 10 @ 11:04 am
Nice post on “the anonymous cruelty of the web.” Check out the link below on the Kentucky Attorney General suit against Topix. Wish Lisa Madigan would get in the fight.

http://www.wbko.com/home/headlines/89244897.html

Comment by JoeDirt Monday, Apr 5, 10 @ 11:09 am
Blago fired

It makes you almost want to initiate minimum requirements for public office. Such as basic skills, internet use, texting, something.
George W. Bush always said he surrounded himself with smart people, it makes you wonder how many others suround themself with a lot of help.
Blagojevich just showed us how much he relied on staff to do some really basic things.

Comment by Third Generation Chicago Native Monday, Apr 5, 10 @ 11:40 am
Sorry, I forgot. I wish Rich’s father the best on a good recovery, and my thoughts and prayer with the Miller family.

Comment by Third Generation Chicago Native Monday, Apr 5, 10 @ 11:40 am
Rich,
I hope your father gets well soon!

Comment by jerry 101 Monday, Apr 5, 10 @ 12:21 pm
And who will the Governor rely on to insure that “insider deals” are not allowed in this administration? How about trusted adviser Jack Lavin?

Comment by Anonymous Monday, Apr 5, 10 @ 1:15 pm
Moving the lottery to a private company sounds like a great deal. Last year the state made $625M with increasing sales. Under the new proposal “The estimated payoff: $1 billion over 10 years.” That’s a huge $100M a year. And the state hired ‘Oliver Wyman Group for $3.95 million’ to figure this out. The math wizards are actually considering a fabulous deal like this? Maybe they should change the batteries in the calculator someday. That parking deal in Chicago is turning out to be such a huge positive.

Comment by zatoichi Monday, Apr 5, 10 @ 1:22 pm
Nice shot, Paulie.

Comment by Anonymous Monday, Apr 5, 10 @ 1:39 pm
1.4 mil to cover Blago’s legal defense. A few thoughts; first, will the stay delay payment to the lawyers the same amount of time providers for heatlh care and other agencies wait; second, 1.4 million - how many providers could serve the community with that money if it was released to them right now; Third, this is why you need to scrutinize allegations of corruption more (do you hear me Alexi backers?).

Comment by fredformerAnon Monday, Apr 5, 10 @ 4:00 pm
This guy is the poorest excuse for an elected official, not to mention a governor, to ever walk the planet! He is a total embarrasment to the state of Illinois! and ‘the Donald’ has the audacity to hire him, not to mention give him credit for “not wanting to poison the jury pool”. Totally computer illiterate, cell phone dysfunctional and basically unable to lead a wet paper bag. No wonder he was such a bad governor- he was totally dependent on everybody else to do all of the work for him!

Comment by Tunes Monday, Apr 5, 10 @ 4:18 pm