Benton, West Frankfort, Illinois News | Franklin County News
Newspaper covering Franklin County, Illinois
SPRINGFIELD — As the General Assembly heads into its final month of session, House Speaker Michael Madigan said Tuesday that he doesn’t have enough votes lined up yet to extend the state’s income tax increase or raise the minimum wage.
Hee’s the link to the story in the Chicago Tribune.
Republican candidate Bruce Rauner said today that if he were governor, he would veto legislation lawmakers sent to Gov. Pat Quinn last week that would cut pension benefits for some city workers and allow aldermen to raise property taxes to shore up the retirement program.
Here’s the link to the story at the Chicago Tribune.
House Speaker Michael Madigan has pulled the plug on his proposed constitutional amendment to impose a surcharge on incomes over $1 million a year.
Here’s the link to the story in the Chicago Tribune.
Statement by IHSA Executive Director Marty Hickman regarding HR 0895 that was approved today by the Illinois House:
“We believe that the Illinois High School Association has been a model of transparency in the great state of Illinois for over 100 years. The Association has nothing to hide and will be fully cooperative with the General Assembly, as we have done on so many other issues before.
We wish Representative Chapa LaVia had provided the courtesy of discussing any issues she believes exist within our organization prior to the introduction of this Resolution, which has unfairly cast the Association in a negative light. While we believe the hearings she proposes will be an unnecessary strain on the time and resources of both the General Assembly and the IHSA, we welcome the opportunity to clear up any misconceptions this Resolution has created.
As we await word from the General Assembly on the next step in this process, it will be business as usual at the IHSA: administering spring sports and activities for the hundreds of thousands of high school students in Illinois who participate in them.
We will also maintain posting our financial information online for the public to review (www.ihsa.org/Resources/DownloadCenter.aspx click Documents tab), continue to be a national leader in student-athlete safety and offer one of the largest and most inclusive rosters of programs for high school students in the country.”
The Illinois House approved a resolution Monday that calls for a review of the body that oversees high school sports and other extracurricular activities — including whether a state agency should take over its duties.
Two people are in custody on drug charges following an early morning raid at a Sesser residence Wednesday.
Deputies from the Franklin County Sheriff’s Department, along with Sesser police, arrested Christal L. Tucker, 28, of Sesser and Brandon M. Rasch, 24, of Centralia. Tucker and Rasch were both charged with unlawful possession of methamphetamine (100-400 grams), which is a Class X felony. Tucker was also charged with possession of an unsterilized dog by a convicted felon.
Franklin County Sheriff Don Jones said the investigation began after several complaints from neighbors concerning two large pit bulls at the residence. Jones said a bus stop in the residential area added more concern to the complaints.
“This investigation is ongoing,” Jones said. “We anticipate there there could be more arrests as we continue to investigate.”
If convicted the Class X felony charge carries a mandatory prison sentence of 6-30 years in prison.
Tucker and Rasch are being held in the Franklin County Jail pending review by the state’s attorney.
As Pete Rose remains banned for betting on baseball during his years as a player and manager, the baseball legend believes those who take performance-enhancing drugs have sullied the game worse than he did.
Here’s a link to the story.
Illinois Treasurer Dan Rutherford fought back Monday against an explosive lawsuit alleging he sexually harassed a former top aide and demanded campaign work at taxpayer expense, saying the man was trying to smear his reputation just weeks ahead of the Republican governor primary.
Here’s the link to the story in the Chicago Tribune.
