Northern Illinois University officials say cuts and deferred maintenance will be necessary to save money as the school faces a $35 million funding gap from the lack of a state budget.

https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/...udget-woes

The only close friends of mine who remain in the State of Illinois are 1) highly compensated Chicago living hipsters or 2) have family ties keeping them in town.

Everyone else has left Illinois. I've been gone now for almost 12 years.

Chicago/Illinois are about to experience what Detroit/Michigan have gone through over the past 15 years or so. It's going to get worse before it gets better. On the upside, Michigan is on the upswing and the same will happen to Illinois. Just need to figure out how to clean house in the corrupt city government of Chicago and throughout the state legislature.

(05-09-2017 09:40 AM)ColinApocalypse Wrote:  Just need to figure out how to clean house in the corrupt city government of Chicago and throughout the state legislature.

Corruption happens downstate, too.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local...story.html

(05-09-2017 09:28 AM)Lord Stanley Wrote:  The only close friends of mine who remain in the State of Illinois are 1) highly compensated Chicago living hipsters or 2) have family ties keeping them in town.

Everyone else has left Illinois. I've been gone now for almost 12 years.

The bolded part is really the only reason why I reside in SE Michigan.

There are good aspects, sure. But I'd rather be living near a different, slightly smaller city, that doesn't regularly rank in Top 10 lists you don't want to be on. And preferably in a milder climate.

(05-09-2017 11:23 AM)Motown Bronco Wrote:  

(05-09-2017 09:28 AM)Lord Stanley Wrote:  The only close friends of mine who remain in the State of Illinois are 1) highly compensated Chicago living hipsters or 2) have family ties keeping them in town.

Everyone else has left Illinois. I've been gone now for almost 12 years.

The bolded part is really the only reason why I reside in SE Michigan.

There are good aspects, sure. But I'd rather be living near a different, slightly smaller city, that doesn't regularly rank in Top 10 lists you don't want to be on. And preferably in a milder climate.

Just be patient. Your climate is getting milder by the year. Twenty to thirty years, it may be tropical!

(05-09-2017 11:23 AM)Motown Bronco Wrote:  

(05-09-2017 09:28 AM)Lord Stanley Wrote:  The only close friends of mine who remain in the State of Illinois are 1) highly compensated Chicago living hipsters or 2) have family ties keeping them in town.

Everyone else has left Illinois. I've been gone now for almost 12 years.

The bolded part is really the only reason why I reside in SE Michigan.

There are good aspects, sure. But I'd rather be living near a different, slightly smaller city, that doesn't regularly rank in Top 10 lists you don't want to be on. And preferably in a milder climate.

It may not fit your climate qualifications, but look at Grand Rapids. Smaller, much nicer city than Detroit. Very strong economy, and the city is rapidly growing as people move from the east side of the state to the west side.

I have a number of friends that I grew up with on the east side who now live in Grand Rapids and Kalamazoo. The west side is prospering. Even Kalamazoo is seeing a renaissance.

(05-09-2017 11:18 AM)Schadenfreude Wrote:  

(05-09-2017 09:40 AM)ColinApocalypse Wrote:  Just need to figure out how to clean house in the corrupt city government of Chicago and throughout the state legislature.

Corruption happens downstate, too.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local...story.html

It is pervasive, like a cancer on society.

(05-09-2017 09:28 AM)Lord Stanley Wrote:  The only close friends of mine who remain in the State of Illinois are 1) highly compensated Chicago living hipsters or 2) have family ties keeping them in town.

Everyone else has left Illinois. I've been gone now for almost 12 years.

Basically. I was born in Rockford, moved when I was four, and hardly anyone my parents knew there still remains.

tough times at CMU also. 20 million in the red, layoffs announced.

I have several brothers and sisters and none of them have moved out of Illinois. I have one niece that did.

My entire family and extended family are from Chicagoland Illinois. None have moved out except for me. 100% of best friends are still there. 90% of my NIU friends and fraternity brothers live and work in Chicago. The ones that left live in NYC or California because of jobs. I moved because of the military/work.

(05-09-2017 11:18 AM)Schadenfreude Wrote:  

(05-09-2017 09:40 AM)ColinApocalypse Wrote:  Just need to figure out how to clean house in the corrupt city government of Chicago and throughout the state legislature.

Corruption happens downstate, too.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local...story.html

Chicago Dems have had their share of crooked pols - from pay off to local officials to decades of elected prosecutors covering up police torture centers. but the Republicans have taken the hypocrisy cake lately. Remember that Illinois rep Dennis Hastert, the longest running Republican house majority leader in history, who was the most powerful elected rep in the country for a decade while running on a pro religion, lock em up, family values platform was convicted last year of paying hush money to his serial child rape victims for decades. The Paterno/Sandusky scandal got the media attention, but Hastert preyed on emotionally weak boys on his wrestling teams and raped them, before moving into politics and paying them off during a career where he led the Congressional prayer group. Illinois corruption is peerless.

(05-09-2017 01:43 PM)Love and Honor Wrote:  

(05-09-2017 09:28 AM)Lord Stanley Wrote:  The only close friends of mine who remain in the State of Illinois are 1) highly compensated Chicago living hipsters or 2) have family ties keeping them in town.

Everyone else has left Illinois. I've been gone now for almost 12 years.

Basically. I was born in Rockford, moved when I was four, and hardly anyone my parents knew there still remains.

Right, Rockford is not a good area and I imagine anyone who could get out has. During the recession I believe it was one of the top 10 cities in the country for unemployment.

I left Illinois nearly 8 years ago now. It would take a very good career opportunity to move back and even then I wouldn't want to stay.

(05-09-2017 11:20 PM)pono Wrote:  

(05-09-2017 11:18 AM)Schadenfreude Wrote:  

(05-09-2017 09:40 AM)ColinApocalypse Wrote:  Just need to figure out how to clean house in the corrupt city government of Chicago and throughout the state legislature.

Corruption happens downstate, too.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local...story.html

Chicago Dems have had their share of crooked pols - from pay off to local officials to decades of elected prosecutors covering up police torture centers. but the Republicans have taken the hypocrisy cake lately. Remember that Illinois rep Dennis Hastert, the longest running Republican house majority leader in history, who was the most powerful elected rep in the country for a decade while running on a pro religion, lock em up, family values platform was convicted last year of paying hush money to his serial child rape victims for decades. The Paterno/Sandusky scandal got the media attention, but Hastert preyed on emotionally weak boys on his wrestling teams and raped them, before moving into politics and paying them off during a career where he led the Congressional prayer group. Illinois corruption is peerless.

Yea Illinois is the instruction manual on how to be corrupt.

(05-12-2017 12:48 PM)NIU007 Wrote:  

(05-09-2017 11:20 PM)pono Wrote:  

(05-09-2017 11:18 AM)Schadenfreude Wrote:  

(05-09-2017 09:40 AM)ColinApocalypse Wrote:  Just need to figure out how to clean house in the corrupt city government of Chicago and throughout the state legislature.

Corruption happens downstate, too.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local...story.html

Chicago Dems have had their share of crooked pols - from pay off to local officials to decades of elected prosecutors covering up police torture centers. but the Republicans have taken the hypocrisy cake lately. Remember that Illinois rep Dennis Hastert, the longest running Republican house majority leader in history, who was the most powerful elected rep in the country for a decade while running on a pro religion, lock em up, family values platform was convicted last year of paying hush money to his serial child rape victims for decades. The Paterno/Sandusky scandal got the media attention, but Hastert preyed on emotionally weak boys on his wrestling teams and raped them, before moving into politics and paying them off during a career where he led the Congressional prayer group. Illinois corruption is peerless.

Yea Illinois is the instruction manual on how to be corrupt.

I thought it was Louisiana but maybe it's a multi-volume manual

(05-12-2017 06:39 PM)Ohio Poly Wrote:  

(05-12-2017 12:48 PM)NIU007 Wrote:  

(05-09-2017 11:20 PM)pono Wrote:  

(05-09-2017 11:18 AM)Schadenfreude Wrote:  

(05-09-2017 09:40 AM)ColinApocalypse Wrote:  Just need to figure out how to clean house in the corrupt city government of Chicago and throughout the state legislature.

Corruption happens downstate, too.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local...story.html

Chicago Dems have had their share of crooked pols - from pay off to local officials to decades of elected prosecutors covering up police torture centers. but the Republicans have taken the hypocrisy cake lately. Remember that Illinois rep Dennis Hastert, the longest running Republican house majority leader in history, who was the most powerful elected rep in the country for a decade while running on a pro religion, lock em up, family values platform was convicted last year of paying hush money to his serial child rape victims for decades. The Paterno/Sandusky scandal got the media attention, but Hastert preyed on emotionally weak boys on his wrestling teams and raped them, before moving into politics and paying them off during a career where he led the Congressional prayer group. Illinois corruption is peerless.

Yea Illinois is the instruction manual on how to be corrupt.

I thought it was Louisiana but maybe it's a multi-volume manual

Different chapters lol

(05-09-2017 09:28 AM)Lord Stanley Wrote:  The only close friends of mine who remain in the State of Illinois are 1) highly compensated Chicago living hipsters or 2) have family ties keeping them in town.

Everyone else has left Illinois. I've been gone now for almost 12 years.

Yeah, the whole Midwest Rustbelt, same story. I left Indy 8 years ago. According to Facebook most of my high school acquaintances left too.

As long as Mike Madigan stays speaker, things are unlikely to improve imo. But when he eventually does retire or kick the bucket whoever is his right-hand man will probably step in and nothing will change, although there's the slight chance they're an improvement.

Ball State is in good shape. Faculty are getting 3 1/2% salary increase in funding from the state next year and tuition will have the lowest increase it has had for 40 years. The university is also getting over $150 million for construction of a new health college building and a new science building. New and renovated residence halls are are appearing all over campus. In athletics, construction of a golf indoor practice facility is underway next to the football stadium this year, and a new practice facility for basketball and volleyball will be constructed next to Worthen Areana in 2018. Athletic facilities are not state funded. Enrollment is growing, likely at or near 22,000 next year. Students from Illinois can come to Ball State for less money than they would pay at state universities in Illinois, even taking into account having to pay out of state tuition. The university will be celebrating its centennial in 2018. The Ball brothers would never believe it.

Indy and environs are gaining population and the city is fast becoming a major high tech center, a kind of Midwest Silicon Valley. The north suburbs are among the nation's fastest growing areas.