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WNIJ's summary of news items around our state.

Rockford Rep. Supports Legislative Black Caucus Call For Budget

staterepwallace.com

A Rockford-area lawmaker is part of a group of Illinois legislators calling for budget relief for groups in need.

Many lawmakers and social service organizations have been sounding the alarm.

But this month, members of the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus called for an end to the budget impasse. They want support for financial aid for college and after-school programs.

Rockford representative Litesa Wallace is a member of the caucus.

“We are disproportionately impacted obviously because we are disproportionately connected to poverty and so we have really been working together with everyone to try and realize the fact that these are human lives that are impacted by the numbers on the paper.”

Governor Bruce Rauner and legislative leaders aren’t expected to meet again until next year.

Illinois has been without a state budget since the summer.

Jenna Dooley has spent her professional career in public radio. She is a graduate of Northern Illinois University and the Public Affairs Reporting Program at the University of Illinois - Springfield. She returned to Northern Public Radio in DeKalb after several years hosting Morning Edition at WUIS-FM in Springfield. She is a former "Newsfinder of the Year" from the Illinois Associated Press and recipient of NIU's Donald R. Grubb Journalism Alumni Award. She is an active member of the Illinois News Broadcasters Association and an adjunct instructor at NIU.
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