Illinois Briefs - 1/30/12

Regional Superintendants Fight For Their Jobs

(Springfield, IL)  --  Governor Quinn says education is one of his top priorities but he wants to eliminate the positions of 44 regional superintendants across the state.  It's part of his cost-saving strategy to pull the state out of debt but the ROE's aren't going down without a fight.  Sangamon County Superintendant Jeff Vose says they're trying to convince lawmakers to keep them around.  He says they're a very important piece of the education process because they train bus drivers, perform the background checks on bus drivers, do safety inspections on the buildings, provide homeless services for students and enforce truancy laws.

Education Officials Want More Money

(Springfield, IL)  --  The Illinois State Board of Education is asking lawmakers to boost their budget by 265-million dollars next year.  That's still more than 425-million less than it was in 2009.  Officials say they plan to lobby hard during this upcoming session, with the hopes of getting enough support for the proposal.  If approved, the additional money will be used for early childhood

education, bilingual education and several reform initiatives already under way in Illinois.

IRS Audits Up

(Bloomington, IL)  --  High-income earners and small business owners are more likely to get targeted by the Internal Revenue Service.  The "Wall Street Journal" reports field audits of those earning 200-thousand dollars or more rose 34-percent last year, while taxpayers making one million dollars or more saw a 24-percent increase in audits.  Bloomington tax preparer Rick Johnson, from Tax and Accounting Plus, says the IRS keeps a close eye on business owners who report deductions because in many cases, they can't prove them.  Johnson recommends keeping a paper trail of all mileage, expenses, and appointments that will indicate where and when travel occurred.

LaHood Could Be Facing Jail Time

(Peoria, IL)  --  Sam LaHood says he could be facing up to five years behind bars in an Egyptian jail.  The Peoria native is under investigation by Egyptian officials for allegedly taking a salary from an unregistered non-governmental organization.  LaHood told "Fox News" on Friday that the charges against him are serious but at this point he has no reason to be concerned for his safety.  LaHood is the son of U.S Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood.

Marion Teenager Wins International Contest

(Marion, IL)  --  A Marion teenager is making an international name for herself.  Fourteen-year-old Mikayla Hayes took the top prize in a National Geographic Kids picture contest.  Hayes' underwater self portrait was selected out of more than 12-thousand entries.  As the grand prize winner, Hayes will get an all-expenses-paid trip to National Geographic headquarters in Washington, DC.