Column: Illinois’ short-term financial health looks good – Champaign News-Gazette

Jim Dey: "That of course, raises an unanswerable question — what will the state’s budget picture looks like once the federal money spigot is turned off? Here’s a number that illustrates the problem: Illinois’ general fund is up $829 million over the same time period in the last fiscal year, a nearly 13% increase. But of that $829 million boost, almost all of it — $764 million — came in the form of federal pandemic aid."