The first priority for the newest lawmaker in the Capitol is reversing cuts to child care assistance put in place by Gov. Bruce Rauner.

State Rep. Sonya Harper (D-Chicago) has been appointed to replace State Rep. Esther Golar, who died last month.

Weeks before, Golar had ignored doctor’s orders by coming to the Capitol to vote to override Rauner’s emergency rule changes limiting eligibility for child care assistance, and Harper is promising to honor her legacy by voting to reverse those cuts when the House is in session on November 10. She says she’s seen the effects of the cuts on child care providers in her area.
Harper says she disagrees with Rauner’s policies, but declines to give her personal opinion of him. She is planning on running for a full term in the House next year.
In other State news, Illinois now has a new worry: symptoms bacterial leaf stripe has been detected on samples of corn leaves in Champaign County.

The bacteria is most likely not harmful to the crops or to public health. The concerns include: 1) it’s never before surfaced in Illinois corn; 2) nobody knows how it got to Illinois corn; 3) it’s easily confused with two other problems, Goss’s wilt and Stewart’s wilt.

The lesion is described as a yellow or lime green stripe on the corn leaf.