The Champaign County chapters of both the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) jointly sent a letter to the Champaign Community Unit School District 4 Board of Education and superintendent Susan Zola highlighting a lack of access to gifted and advanced placement classes for black Unit 4 students, as well as disparities in discipline and academic proficiency for black pupils as compared to their white peers.

Illinois government has been deadlocked on a state budget for 23 months. During that time, the once-perfunctory job of comptroller has gained in power and prominence. On paper, Susana Mendoza is simply in charge of paying the state's bills. But because there’s not nearly enough money to meet Illinois’ obligations, Mendoza must decide who to pay in what order.

A court hearing scheduled for Tuesday has the potential to shake up Illinois' already-precarious financial situation. Organizations that run the state’s Medicaid program are asking a judge to speed up their payments.

Gov. Bruce Rauner says he wants to get the state out of legal agreements called consent decrees. The deals are a big part of the reason the government is still operating without a budget; they also impact the lives of thousands of Illinois residents. But unless you are affected by one, you've probably never heard of them.

Attorney Sally Scott of Chicago-based Franczek Radelet provided a brief history of the Unit 4 consent decree, and its 2009 settlement to address racial inequities.  But community leaders who worked on the agreement want more changes in areas like discipline and hiring.