East St. Louis sued by police, fire pension funds

EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. (AP) – Police and firefighter pension funds in East St. Louis are suing the cash-strapped city over millions in missed payments. The Belleville News-Democrat (http://bit.ly/1OyakcY ) reports that the city owes the firefighters fund $2.46 million and the police fund $1.21 million. City Manager Alvin Parks Jr. says that East St.…

House OKs releasing local funding with additional money

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) – The Illinois House has endorsed a partial spending plan that frees up $1.9 billion for local governments, but also adds money for public safety in a compromise with Gov. Bruce Rauner. Language that releases already-collected tax money for cities and counties for road upkeep and emergency-dispatch services passed Wednesday and moves…