The now former chairman of the McLean County Board is pleading not guilty to the wire fraud charges which led to his resignation.

A day after resigning the post he had held since 2007, Matt Sorensen appeared before a federal judge in Chicago, on charges that he stole more than $400,000 from consulting clients, like State Farm, for work he supposedly never did.

Federal judge Michael T. Mason told Sorensen he is allowed to continue his consulting work for now.

Each of the five counts against him carries a maximum sentence of 20 years, along with fines and the requirement to make restitution. He’s scheduled to return to court on February 11 for a status hearing.

In other State news, schools in Illinois would have an easier time working with other organizations to try to get some money for good-living programs, under a new initiative from the new superintendent.
Tony Smith’s talking about the $15 million Healthy Community Incentive Fund.

Smith said there’s a lot of research that suggests that when public, private and philanthropic agencies are aligned, kids and families do better. He went on to say it’s really hard to start those things. His solution? The Healthy Community Incentive Fund.
Smith announced this community partnership support during the Illinois State Board of Education budget presentation.