Illinois Briefs - 11/27/12

Quinn Announces Special Election For Jackson's Seat

(Chicago, IL)  --  The Illinois congressional seat formerly held by Jesse Jackson Junior will be filled in a special election this March.  Governor Pat Quinn announced a primary will be held February 26th before the election March 19th.  Jackson resigned from his seat last week because of health problems and an ongoing ethics investigation.  Those named as possible candidates for the empty seat include former U.S. Representative Debbie Halvorson, former Cook County Board President Todd Stroger, Chicago-area Pastor Corey Brooks and lawyer Sam Adams Junior.

High Court Won't Hear Appeal Of IL Eavesdrop Law

(Undated)  --  The nation's high court won't hear an appeal of an Illinois law that prohibits anyone from recording police officers on the job.  The U.S. Supreme Court justices left in place a ruling by a federal appeals court which found Illinois' anti-eavesdropping law violates rights of free speech.  The "Tribune" says the ACLU has now asked a judge to make a temporary injunction barring enforcement of the law permanent.

Medicare Part D Enrollment Wrapping Up

(Undated)  --  The enrollment period for Medicare Part D will wrap up on December 7th.  Current Medicare patients can keep their old plan or change to a new one.  But, even patients who decide to stick with their old plan should review the details, otherwise they could experience changes in coverage and premium increases without knowing.   Check out Medicare.gov to review the plans and see which works best for your situation.

Retail Group Wants Sales Tax Required Online

(Springfield, IL)  --  Retailers in Illinois want the state to mandate a sales tax for all Internet transactions.  The Illinois Retail Merchants Associations contends online retailers should be required to collect the same state sales tax as brick-and-mortar merchants in order to even the playing field.  Brick-and-mortar retailers say it's becoming more difficult to compete with online retailers because customers' bills are usually less when buying online.     

Nativity Scene Returns To State Capital

(Springfield, IL)  --  It's beginning to look at lot like Christmas at the state capitol in Springfield.  The Nativity Display will be unveiled today at 11:30 in the capitol rotunda, complete with several local choirs singing Christmas carols.  It's the fifth year in a row that the Nativity has been displayed.  Illinois is one of the first states in the nation to celebrate Christmas with a Nativity Scene in a State Capitol Building.  Even the ACLU and Freedom from Religion Foundation have not interfered with the display.

Unclaimed Property Auction Underway

(Springfield, IL)  --  You can catch an rare and unique deal just in time for Christmas by bidding on items on the state's unclaimed property auction.  Bidding started yesterday on 18-thousand items such as old comic books, a one carat platinum ring, coin collections, and a book signed by Mickey Mantle.  Each item must meet at least 75-percent of its appraised value in order to be sold.  The auction will start closing this Friday at 10 a.m.  You can register and check out the items up for bid at Treasurer.IL.gov.