Health & Fitness

House acts where Quinn's veto pen failed

VETO PEN VACANCY Part of the new online voter registration law had nothing to do with online voter registration and everything to do with the worst tendencies of Illinois government. In a victory of good government over shady political game-playing, the Illinois House on Wednesday took action to right this wrong. We're still curious why Pat Quinn didn't correct this with his veto pen when he signed the bill back in August. Find out what's up here.

NJ MESSAGE TO IL GOP Chicago Tribune cartoonist Scott Stantis thinks Chris Christie's victory in New Jersey signals a return to mainstream Republicanism. Today's cartoon arrived with this note: ""The base beliefs of the original Tea Party movement remain sound. Lower taxes and smaller government. Sadly, like so many popular grassroots movements it was usurped by the over-reaching and piled on by social issues and cynical political opportunists." He expresses it in picture form here.

PENSION TRAP There's been bipartisan optimism of late that a pension reform compromise bill is imminent in the General Assembly. Mark Glennon of WirePoints.com says the deal as advertised sets a trap for Illinois taxpayers and should be rejected. He explains why here.

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BRAINIAC CITY Luminosity is a website that features brain exercises designed to keep your brain strong and healthy. Recently it ranked what it considers the smartest metropolitan areas in the nation. We've culled the Illinois communities from the list and ranked them. Click the brain to find Luminosity's Top 10 brainiest Illinois metro areas.

NINE NAMES, ONE JOB A friend of Secretary of State Jesse White who held a top office in the Illinois Department of Securities listed nine different names and a fake address on state records. That leads today's news summary. Get a fast update on the most important news of the day here.

Find out what's happening in Palatinewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

HEADLINES Here are some of the stories that make up the roundup above :

  • 5. Some lawmakers are frustrated that same-sex marriage got voted on before pension reform did. (ABC7)
    4. Thousands of state workers owed back pay from the state may have to wait even longer to receive it. (State Journal-Register)
    3. State lawmakers approved a bill giving chemical distributor Univar tax breaks in an effort to entice the company to move its headquarters to Illinois. (Chicago Tribune)
    2. A Bloomberg report shows that Illinois is the worst state in the nation for widening pension-funding ratios. (Bloomberg News)
    1. The former No. 2 in the Illinois Department of Securities lied about her education, her address and her name. (Crain’s Chicago Business)
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