RETURNED, REFRESHED AND READY I'm back from a week's vacation just in time for the Illinois State Fair and all the political fun it brings as we head into a hotly contested gubernatorial primary election season. Many thanks to my colleague Madeleine Doubek for filling in during my absence. The political action arrives Wednesday with Governor's Day and Thursday with Republican Day at the fair. Non-political State Fair tip: If you're taking kids to the fair, be sure to check out the new bird garden in the Happy Hollow area just inside the main gate. It's the aviary equivalent of a petting zoo and proved a big hit with your editor's offspring.
LISA MADIGAN: EXPLANATION OWED? If Attorney General Lisa Madigan knew all along that her father had no plans to step down as Speaker of the House, did she also know all along that she wouldn't run for governor? If so, writes Capitol Fax publisher Rich Miller, "then did she all but lie to a whole lot of people who contributed to her campaign fund this year with the full expectation that she'd challenge Pat Quinn in a primary?" Miller's column comes on the heels of comments from Michael Madigan that the attorney general knew all along that he would not retire if she ran for or was elected governor. "Ms. Madigan needs to stop hiding behind flimsy excuses and give this state a full explanation. The public ought to know if their attorney general all but lied to them for months." Be sure to read the whole column. It raises some legitimate and thorny questions.
ILLINOIS WORKING It's no secret that Illinois is suffering from high unemployment -- in fact, we have the second worst unemployment rate in the nation at 9.2 percent. Last week we showed you the 10 worst Illinois cities for unemployment. But Illinois also has many bright spots with unemployment below the national average of 7.4 percent. Check out today's infographic for a look at the 10 best Illinois cities for jobs. You may be surprised at a few.
Find out what's happening in Palatinewith free, real-time updates from Patch.
TAX TALK As noted in our infographic last week, Illinois is experiencing record revenue growth thanks to the income tax increase of 2011. Yet we still are billions of dollars behind in paying our bills and most of the 2011 tax increase is scheduled to end at the end of next year. What's the future for Illinois' income tax and might a switch from a flat-rate tax to a graduated system in which the wealthy pay higher rates be in Illinois' future? We'll be discussing those issues in Springfield on Thursday with Ralph Martire of the Center for Tax and Budget Accountability and Ted Dabrowski of the Illinois Policy Institute. They're on opposite sides of the income tax debate and I'll be moderating a discussion followed an audience question-and-answer session. It's at 10 a.m. Thursday at the Hoogland Center for the Arts in Springfield. It's free, open to the public and promises to be an informative debate about what is sure to be the top issue in the upcoming race for governor. Please plan to join us. More information and optional advance registration is here.
WHAT MAKES ILLINOIS GREAT? As a Reboot Illinois employee, I'm not eligible to enter our photo contest, in which we invite you to submit a photo that shows why you believe Illinois is great. Luckily, you're not bound by such restrictions. Send us a photo that you think best shows why Illinois is worth fighting for an you'll be eligible to win one of three Visa gift cards. A sunset, a cityscape, a farm field... whatever catches your eye and heart. All the details are here.
Find out what's happening in Palatinewith free, real-time updates from Patch.
DOCTOR IN THE HOUSE? Not always if the house is Stroger Hospital in Chicago, the Better Government Association found. A BGA investigation finds lax accountability for doctors employed by Cook County, whose hours often are not properly tracked. BGA President Andy Shaw explains in his column this week.
TOP 5 Here are links to 5 key Illinois news and opinion items you should be check out today. You'll find links to and summaries of many more in the Daily Tip-Off section of our website.
- 5. Moody’s Investors Service has downgraded the credit rating for Illinois’ public universities. (Reuters)
4. Rod Blagojevich’s brother says Jesse Jackson, Jr. needs to come clean on the infamous Senate seat situation. (Chicago Sun-Times)
3. Opinion: There are still two obstacles to solving the pension crisis. (Pantagraph)
2. Opinion: The public deserves to have more information from the pension conference committee. (State Journal-Register)
1. Opinion: More importantly than Chicago Public Schools reducing the number of standardized tests given, those tests need to be an accurate gauge of progress. (Chicago Tribune)
