7am News, Sports and Obits
Click to play or
Right click and "Save Target As" to download

Latest WGIL news
Click to play or
Right click and "Save Target As" to download

Lawmakers Unhappy With Part of Capital Bill

Gov. Pat Quinn has proposed a nearly $26 billion capital program called "Illinois Jobs Now!," which suggests allocating about $14 billion for roads and bridges over the next five years and about $5 billion for mass transit systems. That doesn’t sit well with some state agencies and lawmakers. State Rep. Julie Hamos (D-Evanston), chairman of the House Mass Transit Committee, is from a city that is served by the CTA, Pace and Metra. She says $5 billion isn't nearly enough because the system must constantly upgrade and maintain its trains, buses, tracks, etc. She says the systems barely have enough money to cover their operational costs, let alone invest in the future. Regional Transportation Authority Executive Director Steve Schlickman agrees with Hamos, saying $5 billion probably won't be enough. He says the RTA received about $2 billion from the state from the Illinois FIRST program under Gov. George Ryan in 1999, but this year it's receiving only $1.5 billion, which adjusted for inflation is about half of what it received 10 years ago. According to the governor's proposal, about $1.5 billion for mass transit would come from the state, $3 billion from the federal government, and about $560 million from federal stimulus funds. (Illinois Radio Network)

03 22 09 by Newsroom

Click here for the WGIL News Archive

Click here for national news

The following provision applies to all visitors (which shall include persons and representatives of legal entities, whether such representatives are persons or digital engines of a kind that crawls, indexes, scrapes, copies, stores or transmits digital content). By accessing this Web site or digital service, you specifically acknowledge and agree that: (i) Associated Press text, photo, graphic, audio and/or video material shall not be published, broadcast, rewritten for broadcast or publication or redistributed directly or indirectly in any medium; (ii) No Associated Press materials nor any portion thereof may be stored in a computer except for personal and non-commercial use; (iii) The Associated Press will not be held liable for any delays, inaccuracies, errors or omissions therefrom or in the transmission or delivery of all or any part thereof or for any damages arising from any of the foregoing; (iv) The Associated Press is an intended third party beneficiary of these terms and conditions and it may exercise all rights and remedies available to it; and (v) The Associated Press reserves the right to audit possible unauthorized commercial use of AP materials or any portion thereof at any time.

©2009 Galesburg Broadcasting Company
2009 EEO Report