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Gov's Veto Pen Affects State Parks, Too
The budget cuts Gov. Rod Blagojevich has un-made will keep four state parks open. Seven still will close.

The governor's office announced this week the approval of $176 million in a sweep-and-spend package the General Assembly passed aimed at paying for substance abuse programs, state parks, and historic sites. The governor, citing federal restrictions on some of the money, vetoed $55 million of the package, meaning the historic sites and some of the parks must still close.

Nov. 30 is the last day the seven will be open. Department of Natural Resources spokeswoman Stacey Solano says the state is still working through the process of which employees will be laid off and which won’t.

State Rep. Bill Black (R-Danville), whose district includes Kickapoo State Park -- a park getting a reprieve -- says while he's cautiously optimistic, there's still no real timetable for releasing the money, and no guarantee what will happen after the fiscal year ends in June.

Staying open are:

* Channahon State Park, Channahon
* Gebhard Woods State Park, Morris
* Hennepin Canal State Trail, Sheffield
* Kickapoo State Park, Oakwood

Still closing are:

* Castle Rock State Park, Oregon
* Hidden Springs State Forest , Strasburg
* Illini State Park , Marseilles
* Lowden State Park, Oregon
* Moraine View State Recreation Area, LeRoy
* Weldon Springs State Park , Clinton
* Wolf Creek State Park , Windsor

(Illinois Radio Network)
11 22 08 by Newsroom
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