State Will Prioritize Tornado-Related Bills

CHICAGO (AP) - Illinois Comptroller Judy Baar Topinka says her office will prioritize paying state bills accrued after a tornado tore through the city of Harrisburg, leaving six people dead. Topinka said Thursday that her office will work with businesses impacted by Wednesday's severe weather.

She says the state will prioritize payments to businesses committed to clean-up and recovery efforts in Saline County. The announcement comes as the state of Illinois has a roughly $8 billion backlog of unpaid bills. The National Weather Service listed the Harrisburg tornado as an EF4, the second-highest rating given to twisters based on damage. Scientists said it was 200 yards wide with winds up to 170 mph. It left about 100 people injured.  full story

Illinois Unemployment Rate Drops to 9.4-Percent

CHICAGO (AP) - Illinois added 3,800 jobs in January, and the state unemployment rate fell for the fifth straight month to 9.4-percent. The Illinois Department of Employment Security says the 0.3-percentage point drop in the unemployment rate was the largest decline since September 1992.

The agency says the number of unemployed people dropped by 18,100 in January to 620,300. Illinois has added 122,900 private sector jobs since January 2010, the first month that numbers increased after 23-consecutive months of declines. The state unemployment rate peaked that month at 11.4-percent.

The leading growth industries since then have included professional and business services, educational and health services and manufacturing. Government has lost the most jobs since January 2010 with 24,700. The national unemployment rate for January was 8.3 percent. - http://goo.gl/dIhtQ

Marion County Police Beat for Thursday, March 1st, 2012

A 21-year-old Central City man faces multiple charges following a probation check on his home Wednesday. Central City Police were called to the Zachary Hanks home on West Hardin Street after a probation officer allegedly found ammunition and drugs in his residence. Other charges were added after he allegedly bolted out the back door of his home and was able to run four blocks before being taken into custody by police. Hanks is being held in the Marion County Jail for alleged possession of ammunition, possession of methamphetamine, possession of drug paraphernalia, escape and resisting arrest.

Police report a foil pouch with methamphetamine, a prescription bottle with ammunition, a canvas ammunition belt, shot gun ammunition, a weight scale, and a beer can with burnt residue were all recovered from the home. Salem Police are investigating the theft of a wheel chair from the Richard Rich home on Woodland Drive. - http://goo.gl/85dvP

Federal Government Approves Plans By Illinois To Check Addresses Of Medicaid Recipients

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) - The federal government has approved plans by Illinois to check the addresses of Medicaid recipients against driver's license records to ensure they live in the state. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services on Wednesday informed the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services the state's plans are permissible under the laws establishing the program.

Earlier this month, officials told the Obama administration they were moving forward with plans to comb records for fraud despite the lack of federal approval Quinn has pledged to cut $2 billion from the program that provides health care to 2.7 million poor and disabled Illinois residents. Officials say that of medical information cards returned as undeliverable in November, as many as 6,000 came back indicating the intended recipient has an out-of-state address. - http://goo.gl/YGarI

City sees rise in tax receipts

MT. VERNON - Receipts in the city diesel fuel tax and the food/beverage tax continue to increase. "Diesel sales in Mt. Vernon are going strong," City Manager Ron Neibert reported. "Those numbers are not a reflection of price, but a reflection of the gallons of fuel being sold." The 2 cent per gallon diesel fuel tax and the 1 percent food/beverage tax receipts are being used for capital projects and equipment.

The diesel fuel tax receipts are coming in 22.2 percent higher than last year, with a steady increase being shown from when it went into effect in September 2008. The yearly totals in 2008-09 fiscal year, with a partial year collected, were at $339,088; during the 2000-10 year, $514,845 was collected; in 2010-11, 515,882 was collected. With the city fiscal year beginning May 1 and running through April 30, diesel fuel tax receipts for May were up 4.7 percent from the previous year, coming in at $44,469.

June receipts were up 12.3 percent from the previous year at $49,235. July receipts were up 19.2 percent at $52,047. August receipts were up 19.6 percent, at $57,647. September receipts are up 33.3 percent from the previous year at $57,119. October receipts saw the largest increase at 44.4 percent, at $63,650. November receipts were up 29.6 percent, at $51,024; and December receipts were up 14 percent, coming in at $44,535.

The 1 percent food and beverage tax only had one month which showed a 0.6 percent decrease, all other months in the fiscal year have shown an increase over the previous fiscal year. - http://goo.gl/QvBve