Illinois finally has a spending plan. Governor Bruce Rauner signed a partial state budget last night. But the impact of the full year without a budget is still being felt, and the temporary spending plan does nothing to ease looming uncertainty.
WBEZ is telling stories of people “Caught in the Middle” of the state budget impasse, and we’re checking in with some of the people we met throughout the year.
In October, a program in Winnebago County that helped juvenile offenders stay out of prison and get back on the right track closed because of the lack of state funding. Many agreed the organization, Redeploy Illinois, was a program saved the state money and helped kids.
John Johnson, the Juvenile Justice Coordinator for Winnebago County, joined us with an update on what’s next for the group.