Quinn Targets Health Insurance Benefits Of Retired Teachers And Community College Professors

CHICAGO - Gov. Pat Quinn wants to eliminate the state's contributions toward health insurance benefits for retired school teachers and community college professors across Illinois. Those cuts are part of the budget proposal he unveiled last week. The Chicago Tribune reported Sunday that they target two insurance programs and would save the state about $92 million.

About 77,000 retired teachers and their dependents outside Chicago are covered under the Teachers Retirement Insurance Program and the Community College Insurance Program. If Quinn's plan is approved, retirees could be forced to pay higher premiums. The extra costs could also be shifted to school districts, which could mean higher property taxes. A spokeswoman for Quinn, Kelly Kraft, says the change is necessary because of what she called "fiscal challenges created over decades of mismanagement."   full story

Soil Temperatures Up in Illinois

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Soil temperatures across Illinois are several degrees higher than last year at this time thanks to the mild weather. Jennie Atkins with the Illinois State Water Survey says the temps are higher based on numbers collected at weather stations across the state.

Soil temperatures are measured at depths of 4 inches under bare earth and at 4 and 8 inches under sod. From November to January, the median soil temperature at depths of 4 inches was 38 degrees, which is 4.7 degrees warmer than the same time last year. There were similar increases for soil measured under sod. The highest temperatures were recorded in southern Illinois, where temperatures at 4 inches were 6.9 degrees warmer than last year. The median temperatures for northern and central Illinois were also higher.   full story