SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — Gov. Rod Blagojevich's practice of flying from his Chicago home to the Capitol in Springfield and back for daily budget negotiations is costing Illinois taxpayers more than $5,800 a day — roughly $76,000 since late May and climbing.
An Associated Press analysis of state flight records shows Blagojevich made nine round trips on state airplanes from May 22 to June 7, and he appears to have made at least four more since then.
Several of those flights came while the governor's aides were admonishing lawmakers for not spending enough time in the Capitol working on the budget.