Illinois Briefs - 2/20/12

Lawmaker Threatens To Sue Secretary Of State

(Chicago, IL)  --  A lawsuit may be in the works against Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White.  State Senator Annazette Collins says she'll file suit against White if he doesn't apologize for calling her, quote, "the most unethical person in government."  White compares Collins to former, convicted governor Rod Blagojevich in a weekend "Sun-Times" article.  Collins says the comments are malicious and irresponsible and says the Secretary can expect a legal battle if he doesn't issue an apology by tomorrow.  White stands by his comments and says he will not offer an apology.

Quinn Wants Nine-Percent Cutback

(Springfield, IL)  --  Governor Quinn is asking state agencies to scale back by more than nine-percent next year. So far at least one Constitutional Officer is on board with the plan.  A spokesperson for Lieutenant Governor Sheila Simon says they're looking to cut their budget by about 200-thousand dollars, which means

they'll run on just one-point-nine-million dollars.  So far, Simon is the only one of the state's constitutional officers to volunteer for the budget cut.  Governor Quinn will lay out more details at his Budget Address on Wednesday.

Students To Compete In Math Championship

(Decatur, IL)  --  A group of middle schoolers form the Decatur area are heading to the state Mathcounts competition.  The Moroa-Forsyth students met others in the regional competition at Millikin University over the weekend.  They engaged in math competitions in both individual and team categories and will square off in the state championship March 3rd.  Two students from Warrensburg-Latham are also headed to the state finals.

Missing Peoria Man Found Dead

(Peoria, IL)  --  The search for an elderly Peoria man is over.  Authorities say John Garrett's body was found early yesterday morning near the entrance of Jubilee College State Park.  Search crews had been looking for Garrett for more than a week.  Garrett suffered from Alzheimers disease and had wandered away from home while his wife was napping.