Chicago Tribune from Chicago, Illinois • Page 2-4

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and east of Milwaukee Ave. THE UNMISTAKABLE TOUCH OF GRACE: An Evening with Cheryl Richardson from legislators. It was first budget address since the end of last marathon legislative session was forced into nearly two months of overtime by an impasse over his fiscal 2005 spending blueprint. During negotiations to resolve the formed an alliance with Jones to fight for more spending, especially on education. The other side of the battle was waged by Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigan and legislative Republicans, who pushed for deeper spending cuts.

Those alliances may now be reversing, with Jones ripping the governor for not embracing aschool-reform plan that would reduce inequities in education funding. Jones also wants to lessen heavy reliance on the property tax to pay for schools and supplant the lost revenue with an increase in income taxes. veto any bill that raises the income tax in whatever Blagojevich said, repeating a frequent promise to oppose any hike in the income or sales tax. The governor said the state could reap more money to spend on schools if lawmakers would go along with his proposal to reduce retirement perks for new state workers, a move that would free up cash that would otherwise have to be paid to government employee pension funds. not convinced that the only answer to school funding and the inequities to the school- funding formulas necessarily mean you have to raise the income tax or the sales he said.

Jones has said he would push atax swap regardless of the opposition, contending that elderly residents of Illinois are taxed out of their to pay property taxes for education. had panels and task forces and commissions, and nothing has ever been said Cindy Davidsmeyer, spokeswoman. can do this. We should do this. what he would like to see done, and his preference is this But Blagojevich said too soon to propose such a complex overhaul.

borrow from the Bible, a season for all he said. a season to be born, a season to die, a season to plant and a season for school finance reform. This season is pension The governor also was unenthusiastic about proposal to generate revenue by expanding gambling. Blagojevich said that if he endorsed more gaming in Illinois and helped the state through its fiscal crisis, it would only prevent the General Assembly from having to make tough fiscal decisions. Jones and Senate Democrats were pushing ahead nonetheless with alternatives to revenue ideas.

On Thursday they floated proposals that included Internet-based lottery ticket sales and a broadening of the sales tax to include currently untaxed items such as medicated shampoos. Aides with the governor said they had not thought much about the lottery proposal, especially given concerns about federal restrictions. While Blagojevich has proposed cutting the budget, his biggest revenue generator is a proposed 75-cent increase in the cigarette tax, which would bringthe total state portion of the levy to $1.73. In addition to feeding the starving coffers, the governor said Thursday the idea has a side benefit. believe there will be fewer teenagers who will get hooked on smoking because the price of cigarettes went up by 75 he said.

give you an exact number, but I know a teenager or two out there who be able to afford enough cigarettes to get Tribune political reporter Rick Pearson contributed to this report. Tribune photo by Chuck Berman Budget Director John Filan (left) and Gov. Rod Blagojevich meet Thursday with the Tribune editorial board. BUDGET: Alliances built last year may be shifting CONTINUEDFROMPAGE1 By Jeremy Manier Tribune staff reporter After months of worry over short supplies of flu vaccine and debate on how to conserve the available shots, flu season has finally hit Illinois and much of the rest of the country. And there are still plenty of shots to go around.

Flu cases have been climbing steadily in Chicago for weeks based on symptoms seen at offices and clinics, city health officials said. Flu patients were a major reason for overcrowding that forced more than a dozen Chicago-area hospitals to divert ambulances from their emergency rooms earlier this week, hospital officials said. Because the flu season started so late, still time for people to get protected with influenza typically take about two weeks to be effective. Experts said flu likely will be a risk into March and even April. Although a shortage caused by manufacturing problems spurred nationwide restrictions in October on who could get flu vaccine, now anyone can get a shot.

Health departments in Illinois and elsewhere lifted all restrictions based on age or health status in late January, fearing that if they vaccine doses would go to waste. plenty of vaccine for whoever shows said Tim Hadac, a spokesman for the Chicago Department of Public Health, which offers flu shots for free at nine clinics around the city. is almost nonexistent at this Flu cases in Illinois are not yet widespread, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Twenty- seven states are reporting widespread flu in the most recent weekly surveillance report, up from 16 states in late January. The late flu season is complicating moving plans at the University of Chicago Hospitals, where workers Saturday must transport more than a hundred young patients through connecting hallways to the new Comer Hospital.

Although hospital officials had wanted to discharge as many patients as possible before the move, the influx of flu cases is making that difficult. said hospitals spokesman John Easton. happens every year about this Flu cases grow in city, but shots can still help.