* State senator threatened with eviction from Barrington office

State Sen. Dan Duffy says he won’t complain if he is booted from his Barrington office because the state government hasn’t been paying the rent on time.

GNP Management Group Inc. in Tinley Park sent a notice to Duffy’s office Wednesday demanding substantial payment if basic services are to continue for his third-floor space on Main Street. The document states there may be “consequences” for Duffy, who received an eviction notice in June, if at least partial payment on four months of back rent is not made soon.

* For-profit mental institutions cost Illinois $122M

* Malpractice issues should be fixed outside courtrooms

* Our View: Court ruling shouldn’t be the end for medical malpractice caps

* Lawyers dance to Supremes’ tune

Plaintiffs’ lawyers, naturally, were jubilant with the victory while doctors and insurance companies were distraught.

* Politicians stay in touch via Facebook, too

* Asian carp discussion moves to Washington

A critical week in the battle against Asian carp kicks off Monday when Gov. Pat Quinn plans to meet with governors from Michigan and Wisconsin at the White House to hash out a plan to keep the invasive species out of the Great Lakes.

* Carp summit is a good start, but it won’t fix problem

* Asian Carp Threat Prompts Protest Near Lake Michigan Shore

* Michigan Mach II: Interesting Asian Carp Info for the Supreme Court

* Our View: A hidden tax hike for college kids’ families?

* Tribune: Fix McPier

…McPier needs a still bigger fix. It starts with a bill state legislators have sent to Quinn. It would replace the current McPier board with a smaller board whose mission would be to recommend a new vision for the authority. Sign the bill now, Governor.

Then, Governor, hire a turnaround specialist experienced in the convention industry as chief executive.

* Foreclosures still on rise, but more help available

* The 2 Blagojevich trials

* Author has novel insight on Blagojevich

[David] Ellis was working on his seventh book when Blagojevich was arrested Dec. 9, 2008, on federal corruption charges. Suddenly, reality collided with Ellis’ creativity.

“The book is about a corrupt governor, based loosely on the pay-to-play accusations against Blagojevich,” he said. “When the federal charges came down against him, well, that dwarfed what I was writing about.”

* CTA riders begin to feel the pinch of budget cuts

* Riders to feel steep CTA cuts Monday

* CTA service cuts begin [Sunday] as talks continue

Union leaders and CTA officials had met with Daley on Friday. Daley told reporters Saturday that he had not gotten involved earlier because he was waiting for an arbitration ruling on seniority rules.

But while union leaders agreed the meeting helped clear up some animosity between the parties, it came too late to stop the cuts.

* CTA-union talks resume, but too late to stop cuts

* CTA bus barn shut as bus, train cuts loom

* CTA lays off more than 1,000, eliminates 9 bus routes

* Deep CTA Cuts Now In Effect

* CTA’s Doomsday service faces its first rush hour

* Pace route cuts force riders to scramble

Unlike the CTA, Pace won’t be laying off employees to help plug its $6.5 million budget shortfall for 2010. The route eliminations will save $1.5 million, and prevent a fare hike.

* Connected firm wins Metra-bus contract

* ‘Green’ experiment at City Hall stinks

There’s been a stench coming from the second floor of City Hall — and it has nothing to do with the steady stream of Chicago aldermen convicted on corruption charges.

* How bad is Chicago’s air?

* For students seeking financial aid, time is money

According to the Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC), new students will pay about 7 percent more next fall than those who enrolled in 2009.

* Illinois’ MAP grant dilemma vexing students

At Heartland Community College, a big concern is whether the double trends of more students attending college and the economy throwing more students into need-based pools could hurt students’ chances of getting MAP grants. When the funding runs out, later applicants are out of luck, noted Cheryl Schaffer, HCC’s financial aid director.

She noted that while universities tend to get commitments from students by May 1, community college registration often continues up through the start of fall classes.

* CSC President Not Fond of Changes to Illinois FOIA Law

The president of Carl Sandburg College says his and other institutions have enough to deal with, without worrying about changes that took effect with the new year in the state’s Freedom of Information Act.

* U of I tuition increase reflects national trend

* Southland schools look at layoffs, program cuts over state aid delays

llinois is $650 million behind on education payments. It owes Southland school districts more than $24.4 million.

* Budget woes force school cuts

According to Unit 40 Superintendent Dan Clasby, the state currently owes the district about $900,000 and there’s no certainty all or even any of the money will come through. Because of this, school officials are back to looking at what can be trimmed that would cause the least harm to the local education system.

* Oswego schools plan for $5.5M deficit

* Dispute over gays boils over in Oak Park schools

“I expect my child to be supported by teachers and the school administration.”

But for conservatives, including three families at Beye, it’s not a matter of looking down on gay families. They agree no kids should feel unwelcome or bullied in school.

* Sugar Grove Library forges on, despite tax vote loss

* Evanston gives reprieve to branch libraries

* Illinois fire departments to receive grants

* R.I. to consider garbage fee

* [Rockford] Police union files grievances over time off, staffing

* [Springfield] Police union rejects concessions

Members vote against taking furlough days, reducing pay raises

* Amtrak plans concern Galesburg

New Quad Cities service likely to cut into ridership

* Lawmakers look for more money for levees: ‘$2 million a year is not going to cut it’

Their outcry was sparked by the White House proposal to slash the corps’ 2011 budget by 9.25 percent compared to the current year — $4.9 billion versus $5.4 billion.

* City’s plan for hydroelectric power at Lock and Dam 21 draws private competitors

* So far, so good for people near Logan County wind farm

* Chatham to borrow again to finance water plant plans

Chatham’s board last year approved borrowing $550,000 via an Illinois National Bank line of credit. An additional $500,000 needs to be paid before the commission can take over the project and secure bonds, Chatham’s chief fiscal officer and treasurer, Sherry Dierking, and Village Manager Del McCord told trustees last week.

* More charities added to state income-tax form options

The state’s network of food banks and the six Illinois Crisis Nursery agencies are included for the first time as eligible charities for taxpayer checkoff donations.

Altogether, 10 causes are listed on the Schedule G tax form, “Voluntary Charitable Donations.” Typically they vie for more than $1 million in taxpayer donations, though the amount has dropped in recent years.

* Nearby mayors oppose revised tax break for Glen Carbon development