News

Gov. Bruce Rauner's administration has stopped paying health care claims for at least 146,000 state workers because of the budget mess. The Department of Central Management Services has halted funding for claims covered by the state's self-insurance plans. But payments will continue to private companies operating managed-care plans for another 158,000 workers.  

It's unprecedented for the state to stop paying claims. It's unclear whether health care providers will demand upfront, out-of-pocket payments.  

A leading child advocacy group says even if state lawmakers and Gov. Bruce Rauner end the budget impasse, the damage is already done to numerous services, like afterschool programs and efforts to prevent infant deaths. Voices for Illinois Children has released a report outlining more than 60 programs and services being affected. Advocates say it represents at least $3.5 billion.  

The Democratic-controlled Legislature and the first-term Republican governor remain deadlocked on a spending plan for the July 1 fiscal year.  

State Senator Dan Kotowski says he's stepping down from the Illinois Senate next month to become president of a nonprofit group that benefits at-risk children and families. Kotowski says his last day representing the 28th District in Chicago's suburbs will be October 5. The Park Ridge Democrat has held the seat for nine years. Kotowski will be president and CEO of ChildServ, which has offices in Chicago, Elgin, Naperville and Waukegan and also does work in Chicago's southern suburbs. The nonprofit provides family support groups and youth group homes, among other services.

Federal prosecutors say Aaron Schock has "deceptively refused" to hand over all of the documents they've subpoenaed as part of an investigation into the former congressman. Assistant US Attorney Timothy Bass wrote documents not yet turned over include emails between Schock and congressional staffers, his campaign treasurer, his friends and sister. The Peoria Republican has turned over about 10,000 financial records. He is to make another nearly 3,000 records available by Thursday for a judge to decide if they will be given to prosecutors.

A federal judge has given lawyers for former U.S. House Speaker Dennis Hastert more time to file pre-trial motions in his hush-money case. Attorneys for the Illinois Republican and federal prosecutors filed a joint motion Thursday asking for a two-week extension of Monday's filing deadline.

The two sides say they've been discussing issues Hastert's lawyers may raise. They say the extension may give them time to address those issues so the motions won't be necessary. U. S. District Court Judge Thomas Durkin granted the motion Friday without comment.

Former U.S. Rep. Aaron Schock has made a rare public appearance since resigning from his congressional seat earlier this year amid an intensifying spending scandal.  
 

Crain's Chicago Business reports the Republican attended a Navy Seal Foundation fundraiser Wednesday at a Chicago hotel with other high-profile guests. His appearance came on the eve of a special election to replace him, won by Republican State Senator Darin LaHood.  

Illinois Wesleyan University is getting set to name its next President. The school in Bloomington has announced a news conference Monday to unveil the selection to replace Richard Wilson. The search has been ongoing since Wilson announced in December of last year that he would retire when a successor was named.

The number of students enrolled at Northern Illinois University has dipped slightly, but retention rates are improving. The university reported an enrollment of 20,130 students, a decrease of about 2.3 percent from last year. NIU President Doug Baker says: "We are not where we want to be, but there are encouraging signs of progress." The one-year retention rate for last year's freshmen increased 1 percentage point, to 72 percent. Baker says the university also has been recruiting higher-achieving students.

Astronomers are still nearly giddy with the revelations coming from the ten year mission to Pluto. Linda French of IWU is one of them. She knows most of the team on the New Horizons mission. French tells GLT's Charlie Schlenker she has been blown away by the latest discoveries. Linda French speaks at the McLean County Museum of History tomorrow at noon.

Comptroller Leslie Munger says Illinois' unpaid bills backlog could potentially jump past $8 billion by next year without a state budget. Munger reiterated the consequences of having no spending plan to legislators and Gov. Bruce Rauner. Both sides remain at impasse for the July 1 fiscal year. Most of the state's money is being spent through court orders, which Munger says continues at unsustainable rates. There's also less revenue with a rolled back temporary income tax increase. Munger says the backlog is $5.5 billion and could outpace $8.5 billion by December's end.

Ten people in western Illinois now have died from Legionnaires' disease after a state veterans home in Quincy reported two new fatalities among its residents. An outbreak first identified in late August has sickened 53 residents at the home. State and local public health officials have not disclosed how the 10th victim contracted the disease, a severe form of pneumonia. The Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs says it plans to treat the home's water systems with a chemical disinfectant. An agency spokesman could not immediately answer why that step had not been taken sooner.

The Peoria City Council has approved a $125,000 settlement in a lawsuit filed by a man whose home was raided by police over a fake Twitter account he created depicting the mayor as a lewd fan of drugs and alcohol. There was no discussion. When the deal was announced last week, attorneys for 30-year-old Jon Daniel of Peoria called it ``a civics lessons'' for governments around Illinois that parody isn't cause for a police investigation. The deal includes no admission that Peoria did anything wrong. Daniel has said he is satisfied with the settlement.

A central Illinois judge has convicted a former Pekin woman of intentionally depriving two dogs of food and water until they died. 43-year-old Regina Robards was found guilty of the felony charges of aggravated cruelty to a companion animal. She faces up to three years in prison when she's sentenced Oct. 29. The case started in November when her landlords found the dogs' emaciated remains. Robards' defense attorney Maureen Williams told Tazewell County Judge Paul Gilfillan that Robards wasn't pleading guilty. But Williams didn't present a defense. Robards remains free on bond.

Two lottery winners have filed a federal lawsuit against the Illinois Lottery, which stopped paying out large prizes because there's no state budget. The lawsuit by Rhonda Rasche and Danny Chasteen seeks class action status. Rasche is awaiting a $50,000 payout. Chasteen won $250,000. Last month the state comptroller's office said that without a budget for the July 1 fiscal year, there wasn't authority to write checks over $25,000 and payments would be delayed. The lawsuit says the lottery still pays wages and seeks a court order to stop ticket sales until Illinois pays.