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   SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) - Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn is holding fast to his position that legislation calling for the carrying of concealed weapons should allow city governments to decide their own standards.

   But the Democratic governor's preference goes against lawmakers, who have given such ideas a chilly reception.

   The General Assembly has until June 9 to end Illinois' last-in-the-nation ban on concealed carry because of a federal appeals court ruling.

   Quinn wants larger cities such as Chicago to be able to set up their own standards for gun-toting citizens.

   Gun-rights advocates say that would create a confusing "patchwork" of laws and put gun owners in jeopardy.

   A plan in the Senate would give Chicago-area police the ability to deny gun permits. Gun owners and Republicans are cool to the idea.

 

"The rain is not gonna help us at all and it could hurt us. Depends on how much rain we get." That's Foley Missouri alderman Ken Jaspering talking about efforts to keep the Mississippi River from flooding the tiny town of 161.Some 500 people including a half dozen inmates pitched in on Monday to help sandbag.

So what about today's (Tuesday's) rain?  Jaspering tells KTRS' Michael Golde, "I've been here since 1940 (laughs) so I've seen some stuff. But it shouldn't get as bad as 2008." 

Authorities say makeshift levees mostly held back the water in communities along the Mississippi River and other Midwestern waterways. 

An inch of rain is expected to fall today on a wide swath of the country from Oklahoma to Michigan. 

In Illinois--Governor Pat Quinn says emergency workers dealing with the growing flood threat near Peoria are also dealing with people checking out the swollen river:

'This is not a river to get on. The Illinois River or any of its tributaries. They're very swollen. Same way with the Mississippi River. We don't want people taking chances coming near the river. The current is much stronger than ever. We have boats. We've rescued a lot of people."

 

   SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) - Gov. Pat Quinn has issued an emergency declaration following the flooding and severe weather affecting areas across Illinois.

   Quinn issued the declaration yesterday. The action will allow the state to access federal resources including generators, pump systems sandbags and additional funds. The declaration is a step below a disaster emergency declaration.

   Quinn says the American Red Cross has opened two shelters in north central Illinois. One is in Oglesby and another in Roanoke.

   Earlier yesterday, Quinn initiated the State Incident Response Center to monitor flooding and severe weather in portions of Illinois and help coordinate assistance local authorities may need.

   The governor is encouraging people affected by the weather to go online for real time updates on the storms.

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) - Gov. Pat Quinn is expected to call today for additional cuts and more scrutiny of money that's automatically sent to local governments, public transportation and other programs as he presents his proposed budget.

The Chicago Democrat will propose slashing $400 million from education in the fiscal year that starts July 1. It also will pin the blame for the cuts on lawmakers' failure to fix the state's worst-in-the-nation pension problem.

The automatic fund transfers include more than $2 billion in spending that Quinn's aides describe as "on autopilot." The amount those programs receive is set in state statute. Trying to cut it is likely to cause a contentious debate.

Quinn's proposed budget also attempts to pay down $2 billion in unpaid bills.

Illinois' financial troubles appear to be taking a toll on the popularity of the man charged with fixing them.

A new poll by the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute at SIU-Carbondale shows that Governor Pat Quinn has taken a hit. Quinn trailed badly among fellow Democrats, losing to state Attorney General Lisa Madigan by nearly ten points in a hypothetical party primary. The governor also trailed the "undecided" category by almost six points.

The poll also showed Illinois Republicans have no consensus on a gubernatorial candidate, with no one getting more than 10 percent support.