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County Board OKs purchase
STATE OF THE BUDGET ADDRESS
House would be for drug court sober-living facility By ADAM POULISSE apoulisse@shawmedia.com
AP photos
Gov. Bruce Rauner enters the House to applause before delivering his State of the Budget address Wednesday to a joint session of the General Assembly in the House chambers in Springfield. Rauner called for deep spending cuts to Medicaid, pensions and other programs to fix the state’s budget mess without raising taxes.
Gov. Rauner’s budget plan has $1.5B in cuts NIU, local child care providers ‘concerned’ about proposal Voice your opinon
By DARIA SOKOLOVA dsokolova@shawmedia.com DeKALB – Once Upon a Time Director Michele Baker-McElroy worries she’ll have to close if state funding for low-income child care assistance isn’t restored until March 15. The Sycamore child care center received about 90 percent of its revenue from state subsidies, but Baker-McElroy said she received only $2,000 for food from the state in February. She said she hasn’t been able to pay her staff and cover rent and utilities totalling more than $34,000. She said she’s happy Gov. Bruce Rauner mentioned funding for the Child Care Assistance Program in his budget address Wednesday, when he also called for deep spending cuts to Medicaid, pensions and other programs to fix the state’s budget mess without raising taxes. “I’m happy he addressed and acknowledged the crisis with the child care assistance program,” Baker-McElroy said. Delivering his first budget address since winning office last fall, Rauner said his plan would end “the irresponsible and reckless practices of the past.” He said lawmakers must be willing to make
What do you think of Gov. Bruce Rauner’s first budget proposal? Vote online at Daily-Chronicle.com.
Gov. Bruce Rauner delivers his State of the Budget address Wednesday in Springfield. politically unpopular decisions to close a more than $6 billion budget hole next year. “This is our last, best chance to get our house in order,” Rauner said. According to budget documents released Wednesday afternoon, Rauner is recommending $1.5 billion in cuts. Rauner’s budget blueprint is among the first concrete tests of
whether the Republican first-time officeholder can begin to bring the change he has promised to one of the last Democratic strongholds in the Midwest. The multimillionaire, former private equity investor follows other Republican governors who’ve taken over states and attempted to make them more business-friendly by shrinking government and taxes. But Rauner, who
was seen as a rock star for winning the governor’s office in President Barack Obama’s home state, faces an even greater challenge in a post-recession state where Democrats have super-majorities in both chambers. They criticized Rauner’s plan as disproportionately hurting working families while leaving corporate tax “loopholes” in place. “He’s putting lives and livelihoods in jeopardy by treating our state’s most vulnerable people like burdens,” said state Sen. Mattie Hunter, a Chicago Democrat. Many Democrats want to raise Illinois’ income tax rate, which dropped Jan. 1 from 5 percent to 3.75 percent, to avoid some spending cuts. House Speaker Michael Madigan, a Chicago Democrat, said he believes the state needs a mix of spending cuts and new revenue. He also renewed a call for an additional tax on incomes of more
See BUDGET, page A2
SYCAMORE – The DeKalb County Board on Wednesday unanimously approved purchasing a residential home to operate as an all-male sober-living home for drug addicts and alcoholics in the DeKalb County Drug/DUI Court Program. The house, 491 E. State St. in Sycamore, will be purchased by the county for $145,000 if the county obtains a special use permit to operate the sober-living home from the Sycamore City Council next month. The plan to use the house for male drug addicts and alcoholics in the county drug court program has drawn opposition from Sycamore city offi“We knew cials insisting the county look elsewhere, preferably on prop- all along the erly the county already owns. County officials have been county would eyeing the property because support it. of its proximity to the courthouse and its location among Now it goes both residential and business to the city of properties. “We knew all along the Sycamore. county would support it. Now it goes to the city of Syca- We made the more,” said Richard Schmack, case, and I the DeKalb County State’s Attorney. “We made the case, think it’ll pass and I think it’ll pass in Sycain Sycamore.” more.” On Feb. 2, Sycamore City Richard Council members tabled a vote on the use of the house until Schmack the county took specific action DeKalb County on the property since other opState’s Attorney tions could be pursued. “That’s what we were waiting for,” Sycamore Mayor Ken Mundy said, maintaining the county should look on property it already owns. “My preference is they use land they already have and not decrease our tax base,” Mundy said. Although the County Board unanimously approved the land acquisition, District 4 member Joe Bassett did share some concerns. Bassett currently lives in the neighborhood of the proposed home, and said he is “entirely for” the idea, as long as the sober-living home is handled properly and actually helps those who need it. “It could be something really great for our community,” Bassett said during the meeting. “Or, with terrible execution, [it] could be bad. I hope the people in charge end up doing well.”
Adam Poulisse – apoulisse@shawmedia.com
The DeKalb County Board voted Wednesday to purchase this house at 491 E. State St. in Sycamore for use as a sober-living facility.
DeKalb County bracing for possible record low temps, frigid wind chills “Our forecast says anywhere from 2 to 6 degrees,” National Weather Service MeDeKalb County’s weather is teorologist Amy Seeley said. taking an Arctic turn. “[Overnight Wednesday], we’re Temperatures will reach the expecting anywhere from [misingle-digits with subzero wind nus] 5 to [minus] 12.” chills today, flirting with reIf the forecast holds, it could cord lows, meteorologists said. surpass the previous record of
By ADAM POULISSE
apoulisse@shawmedia.com
minus 7 reached in 1936. Factoring in the wind, wind chills could reach anywhere from 20 to 30 below zero. However, record temperatures don’t account for wind chill, Seeley said. The forecast does not include any major snowfall. As of Wednesday evening,
no school districts had been canceled. Genoa-Kingston District 424 Superintendent Joe Burgess said the decision still was under discussion. “The general guideline with wind chill has been when it’s a warning rather than an advisory, we’ll cancel class,” Burgess
said. “But every day is different.” Local efforts are being made to ensure residents are staying safe and warm. Heritage Woods of DeKalb, 2626 N. Annie Glidden Road, will host a free warming center for local senior citizens
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Thursday. Breakfast, lunch and dinner meals, as well as fun activities, will be available, according to a news release. Seeley said general preparedness should be obvious. “If you don’t have to be outside,” she said, “don’t be outside.”
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