McLean County Times

Rep. Tipsword has announced the opening of two new district offices in El Paso and Metamora, expanding constituent services alongside the main office in Pontiac. The El Paso office is located at City Hall, 125 E. Front St., while the Metamora office is situated on the Square at 101 E. Partridge St. Office hours will be announced soon.

The McClugage Bridge over the Illinois River between Peoria and East Peoria partially opened to traffic on December 19, though it remains an active work zone. Drivers are urged to exercise caution.

Illinois' minimum wage will rise by $1 on January 1, with adjustments for tipped and youth workers as well.

Text and email scams have increased during the holiday season, prompting warnings about common tactics used by scammers.

In wildlife news, Illinois hunters reported a successful deer season with a harvest of over 82,000 deer this year.

Illinois faces significant financial challenges with unfunded pension liabilities nearing $143.7 billion according to a report by the Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability (CGFA). This amount reflects an increase from last year's figure and approaches the all-time high recorded in FY20. The liabilities span five state pension systems covering various public-sector employees including teachers, state employees, college staff, judges, and lawmakers.

The Teachers Retirement System bears more than half of these liabilities at $82.9 billion. None of these systems have met even half of their funding requirements based on actuarial standards; they range from 46.3% funded for TRS to just 24.6% for retired lawmakers' pensions.

These unfunded liabilities are considered moral obligations akin to debt for Illinois taxpayers. Accumulating pension debts could impact the state's credit rating which currently stands at single-A across major agencies—below average compared to other states.