SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) - An expansion of Medicaid under President Barack Obama's health care overhaul could increase Illinois' unpaid bills.
The (Springfield) State Journal-Register reports that the expansion would also force the state to take even longer to pay its existing $9 billion in backlogged bills.
Medicaid is the government health program for the poor and disabled. The General Assembly is considering approving a federally subsidized expansion of the program. Estimates show that about 342,000 additional Illinois residents could become eligible under the planned expansion.
The federal government would fully fund the first three years of the expansion. It would then incrementally drop the funding.
The Illinois Senate in February approved a measure authorizing the enrollment increase. Officials expect the House to vote on the issue by May 31.
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CHICAGO (AP) - State Treasurer Dan Rutherford says Texas Gov. Rick Perry has a point in picking out Illinois' financial problems, but Illinois businesses should stay put.
Perry is in Chicago to try and lure Illinois companies to Texas. He wants competition between the states and says Texas is a better place for companies. The Republican former presidential candidate is meeting with companies and speaking at a bioscience conference. He's made a similar trip to California.
But Illinois Republicans aren't so thrilled by the trip.
Rutherford is a Republican and considering a 2014 run for governor. He says Perry's attempt to poach businesses should "sound an alarm to state leaders."
He says Illinois has the factors it needs for a good business climate, but it should address its nearly $100 billion pension problem.
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An East St. Louis man is headed back to prison after being found with a gun.
Willie Springer was found with an SKS rifle after running from an officer during a traffic stop. Springer's previous conviction made it illegal for him to own the weapon.
The investigation was conducted by the WAVE Task Force--which was assembled to combat violent crime in East St. Louis.
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A Schnucks location in Fairview Heights is recalling ground beef sold on Sunday.
The store, at 625 Lincoln Highway, says some black display paper was accidentally ground with the beef. The beef was sold between 9AM and 4:30 PM and has a sell by date of Monday, April 22.
Anyone who purchased the prepackaged beef can take it back to the store for a full refund.
Anyone with questions should contact Schnucks Consumer Affairs at 314-994-4400 or 1-800-264-4400.
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The Major Case Squad held a press conference around 11:30 AM, but released no new information on an Overland murder investigation.
What we do know is 22-year-old Zachariah Anderson was shot to death around 10 last night, just inside the front door of his home. Witnesses told police they saw three or four men running away from Anderson's house.
Police say they will continue to investigate possible motives in the hopes of identifying any suspects.
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FLORISSSANT, Mo. (AP) - Someone is holding a $2.7 million winning Missouri Lotto ticket, but lottery officials don't yet know who the lucky person is.
The Lotto ticket purchased at a QuikTrip in the St. Louis County town of Florissant matched all six numbers in the drawing from Saturday. The winning numbers are 14, 20, 21, 24, 25 and 35.
There were other winners over the weekend, too. Lottery officials say someone in Hannibal won $250,000 playing Mega Millions on Friday, and a $232,000 Show Me Cash ticket was sold Saturday in St. Louis.
Anyone with a winning ticket should sign the back and has 180 days from the drawing to claim the prize at Missouri Lottery offices in St. Louis, Jefferson City, Springfield and Kansas City.
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LEADWOOD, Mo. (AP) - A Leadwood, Missouri man is being credited with saving the life of a 12-year-old boy, jumping into a flooded river to pull the child to safety.
The Park Hills Daily Journal reports that the child, from Leadwood, Mo., is hospitalized in critical but stable condition after being rescued Sunday evening from the Big River.
Witnesses and police say the boy and two others were trying to cross a bridge that was flooding. The boy fell into the water near a culvert pipe and the force of the water sucked him into the pipe.
He emerged from the other end of the pipe and was floating down the swift-moving river when resident Robert Salsberry was able to grab the boy, pull him to a small island and perform CPR.
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Someone in Florissant is beginning the new week as a millionaire, after one Missouri Lotto ticket matched all six numbers drawn on April 20 to win the $2.7 million jackpot prize.
The lucky ticket was sold at QuikTrip, 2105 N. Highway 67, with the winning number combination of 14, 20, 21, 24, 25 and 35.
“What a fun weekend, full of winners,” said May Scheve Reardon, executive director for the Missouri Lottery.
In addition to the weekend’s Lotto win, someone in Hannibal won $250,000 playing Mega Millions on Friday night, a Show Me Cash ticket worth $232,000 was sold in St. Louis for Saturday’s drawing and, on Sunday, a Club Keno player in Arnold scored a $55,071 win.
“If you’re holding one of these winning tickets, you need to sign the back of it right away and keep it in a safe place until you can claim your prize,” Reardon added.
Draw game winners have exactly 180 days from the drawing to claim their prize. Expiration dates for winning Missouri Lottery tickets can be found on the Winning Numbers page at MOLottery.com. Prizes can be claimed at any of the Lottery’s four offices, which are located in St. Louis, Jefferson City, Springfield and Kansas City.
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Smoothie King is seeking to add 25 franchise locations in the St. Louis area over the next five years.
The New Orleans-based chain, which has eight existing locations, said it's cutting its franchise fee by 40 percent -- $10,000 -- to spur growth.
So far in 2013, nine new franchises nationwide have tapped into the incentive program, the company said. The chain, which has more than 500 domestic locations, has targeted adding 1,000 new franchised and corporate locations in the U.S. in the next five years.
The St. Louis Post Dispatch reports Smoothie King plans to hold an event in St. Louis on May 2 for potential franchisees to obtain information about the company.
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Police now say the item at the center of the incident was a package of phone books.
The Belleville Police Department led the investigation into the suspicious package which was located outside of the Medical Arts Building 180 S. 3rd St Belleville.
The building is associated with St Elizabeth Hospital. Hospital administration ordered 150 people to evacuate two buildings as a precaution. Both Belleville Police and Fire units were involved in the investigation.
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