A northern Illinois Democrat has joined the chorus of lawmakers demanding an independent investigation of the IRS. The agency has come under fire after acknowledging it targeted conservative groups. The Justice Department says it is looking into the matter. But 17th District Congresswoman Cheri Bustos says an independent probe is needed to avoid political gamesmanship.

Less than half of the money in Illinois' Road Fund actually pays for highway construction and maintenance. That's the finding in a new audit that also says the Road Fund overpaid for employee health insurance.

The Road Fund aggregates billions of dollars every year to build and repair highways, but a new report from Illinois' auditor general says more than half the money is going for employee salaries and benefits, as well as paying off bonds.

The audit found several problems with how the Road Fund kept track of spending for employee health insurance.

Northern Illinois University has announced a national search for the position of associate vice president and director of athletics.
A search firm will be utilized to expedite the search process. NIU President John G. Peters made the announcement May 14.

“After extensive consultation with President-Designate Baker and conversations with NCAA and BCS leaders, we’ve become convinced that it is time to launch a national search for a leader for our intercollegiate athletics program. Northern Illinois University enjoys a great reputation nationally.”

A U.S. Senate committee is expected to continue to vote on a plan to provide a pathway to citizenship for millions of people living in the United States illegally. The Senate immigration reform bill includes a special provision for farm workers that shortens the waiting period for legal residency. Illinois Public Radio’s Sean Powers explores how that section would impact Illinois’ agricultural workers.

Federal disaster aid has been made available for state and local recovery efforts in the area affected by severe storms, straight-line winds, and flooding during the period of April 16 to May 5, 2013.

Funding is available in Cook, DeKalb, DuPage, Fulton, Grundy, Kane, Kendall, Lake, LaSalle, McHenry, and Will counties.

Assistance can include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses, and other programs to help individuals and business owners recover from the effects of the disaster. 

Illinois lawmakers are still scrambling to pass a concealed-carry bill. While negotiations continue, the question of whether there should be local control has surfaced in the debate.

NIU president John Peters isn’t the only one saying goodbye to the university at the end of June…so is his wife, Barbara Cole Peters.