At Sacred Heart-Griffin High School, President William Moredock said 21 students at the school benefit from the program; another 23 are on the waiting list. “…(I)f that funding isn’t re-upped in the future, they may have to seek other schools, and that would be a very difficult thing for students and families in our community,” Moredock said.

U.S. Rep. Darin LaHood stressed the budget must be fiscally responsible, as the federal debt currently stands at a whopping $32 trillion, of which $7 trillion is COVID-19-related. “When you have high deficits and you spend too much money, there is a ripple effect and there’s collateral damage that’s done to everyday people,” he said.

Elliot Richardson, of the Small Business Advocacy Council: “With small businesses battling workforce shortages, inflation and other economic headwinds, meaningful property tax reform is needed now…Getting a grip on property taxes and reducing that burden will provide needed relief to both businesses and residents.”

“Our left is definitely not wanting (cuts to SNAP) at all and our right wants more,” U.S. Rep. Mike Bost said. “It is a tricky balance, but remember, even though that’s the biggest part of the farm bill, the most important part of the farm bill to a majority of my constituents is that safety net.”

In 71 of Illinois’ 102 counties, electronic monitoring will be overseen by the Supreme Court’s Office of Statewide Pretrial Services, a newly formed state agency designed to assist counties with the Pretrial Fairness Act’s implementation and to fulfill a 1987 law that required all circuit courts to offer pretrial services. It received a $23 million state appropriation for the current fiscal year after a $26 million allotment last year, which included allocations for start-up costs.

China’s Communist Party chief Xi Jinping doesn’t have to worry about opposition leaders at home criticizing his record. But not far away, a U.S. diplomat has seized that role for himself with barbed and sometimes sarcastic criticism. Rahm Emanuel, Washington’s ambassador in Tokyo, is stepping up personal attacks on Xi, depicting the Chinese leader as an incompetent steward of the economy, a foreign-policy

“Illinois has more units of local government than any other state, according to the state’s legislative handbook. These are funded by property taxes, with a big chunk of those taxes paying for education and state employee pension obligations.

The 50 counties at the top of the most vulnerable list included eight in and around New York City, six in the Chicago metropolitan area and three in or near Philadelphia.

Cook County, for example, is one of a few counties that has for years been moving toward limiting the use of cash bail. Additionally, the county’s criminal courthouse has for years been holding bond court every day of the week – a practice shared by other larger county court systems in Illinois. It’s an entirely different story in southeastern Illinois, where Nathan Rowland is the part-time public defender serving Gallatin County, which borders Indiana, and neighboring Hamilton County. More than half of Illinois’ 102 counties don’t have full-time public defenders.

Jim Dey: “Former Chicago GOP state Rep. Jim Durkin remarked during the legislative debate that the law puts criminal defendants on the honor system — that is, counted on not to do in the future what they did in the past. How good a bet is that?”

David Greising, of the Better Government Association: “Pension costs, including interest on debt, are eating up 25% of the state budget and growing. Dozens of states are shoring up their pensions, creating further separation from worst-in-the-nation Illinois. Continued inaction is not an option. At this point, the strongest ideas are coming from the private sector.”

A former federal prosecutor and ethics officer with the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office is one step closer to becoming the first woman ever to lead Chicago’s U.S. Attorney’s Office. The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday voted 12-9 in favor of recommending April Perry to become the next U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois. With the committee’s approval, she is now set for a final confirmation vote before the full Senate.