Chambana Sun

From Prairie State Wire

State spending 36 percent of money allocated for education on pension costs

By Colin Froment | 6 years ago

Illinois Policy recently released a new study detailing how pension costs are negatively impacting budgets throughout the state’s school districts.

UIUC not likely to take back Exceptional Achievement award from former Ecuador President Rafael Correa, says local activist

By Colin Froment | Aug 1, 2019

One local activist is not convinced that the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) will rescind former Ecuador President Rafael Correa’s “International Alumni Award for Exceptional Achievement” that was given to him in 2009.

From McLean County Times

Sen. Barickman: People should pick their politicians, not politicians picking their voters

By Colin Froment | 6 years ago

With the U.S. Supreme Court deciding June 27 that courts will no longer hold any responsibility in drawing legislative and Congressional maps that grant special benefits to the primary political party, Sen. Jason Barickman (R-Bloomington) is encouraging the public to support SJRCA4, a bipartisan measure to let Illinois voters make decisions on how to draw maps in a non-partisan system.

From Prairie State Wire

Former Democratic senators demand higher salaries for Illinois legislators in lawsuit

By Colin Froment | 6 years ago

Former Illinois Sens. Michael Noland (D-Elgin) and James Clayborne (D-East St. Louis) filed a lawsuit against the state which, if successful, will increase state lawmakers’ salaries to more than $81,000 by 2020 to rank Illinois' legislative salaries as the nation’s fourth-highest.