Some state agencies have begun to send out vouchers for back pay withheld by the previous administration. State agencies have been calculating the amounts owed to each employee, and the first few checks and electronic deposits are coming through.

Comment: Another sad result of the tough media environment. They were a major source of news about state and local government, and we often posted their stories here.

The federal government pays for 80 percent of major highway projects in Illinois — and both Davis and Graves said Illinois is poised to gain federal matching funds.

“The state legislature passed a robust capital bill,” Davis said, funded in part by a doubling of the state’s gasoline tax from 19 cents to 38 cents. “We have to live up to our end of the bargain by putting a highway bill together to make sure that those improvements go to every community in Illinois. I want to see more diversification. I want to see less volatility when it comes to

Illinois had 17 new homes built per 10,000 people last year. That’s far below the national average of 41 new homes built per 10,000 people.