Patch Flash: State Ends Fiscal Year With About $8 Billion Unpaid Bills

According to Topinka, even with significant returns from the Democrat’s 2011 income tax increase and revenue growth spurred by improved consumer spending, the state still ended FY 2012 with between $7.5 and $8 billion in unpaid bills.
 
The Comptroller noted that most of the approximately $3.5 billion in outstanding liabilities constitute obligations to Medicaid providers and state employee health insurance costs. Additionally, the report notes the state has delayed issuance of corporate tax refunds, and owes more than $100 million in repayments to various funds previously tapped by the state to finance unrelated expenditures. 

A woman who is rowing the perimeter of Lake Michigan was sexually assaulted in the Upper Peninsula. In the wake of a horrific setback she experienced during her journey, Jenn Gibbons confirmed her grit, speaking out about the incident and promising to push forward to complete her goal to raise $150,000 for the breast cancer recovery agency she founded.: 

“I have always tried to be transparent and honest about the obstacles of this trip in the hope that my openness and vulnerability might give someone strength or inspiration in their fight against cancer, or in pursuing a dream," Gibbons wrote on her blog before announcing that she had been sexually assaulted on the lakefront in Gulliver, in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, on Sunday.

 Todd Mandoline, 23, of Villa Park, is being charged in the murder of Paula Morgan of Lombard, the DuPage County State's Attorney's Office announced Tuesday. 
Officials believe Mandoline started a fire in the early morning hours of July 22 at the home belonging to Morgan's mother, at 1028 S. Ahrens Ave. Morgan had just celebrated her 25th birthday at the home Saturday evening. 

A 4-year-old bloodhound is being called a "rock star" for her help in nabbing a bank robbery suspect in suburban Chicago Monday. The Glenview State Bank branch, located at 2610 Golf Road near Glenview, was robbed around 12:10 p.m. Monday by a man who implied that he had a weapon. The Cook County Sheriff's Office put Melanie, the bloodhound, to work on tracking the robber's scent and the dog led authorities to an apartment complex about a block and a half away from the bank, where the alleged offender was found.

 An Aurora, IL man who placed 15 crosses near Columbine High School after the 1999 massacre there has returned to Colorado with 12 crosses for the victims of a theater shooting. Greg Zanis began putting up the crosses Sunday on a hill across the street from the theater in Aurora. Aurora Mayor Steve Hogan arrived later, put his hand on a cross and said a prayer with Zanis. Hogan became emotional and embraced his wife. The crosses are white, about 3 1/2 feet tall and made out of lumber. Zanis says he was swamped with requests to bring them.