Prison wing may close

Gov. Rod Blagojevich wants to close an 80-year-old portion of Stateville prison in Joliet favor of a new-but-vacant facility in Carroll County, officials confirmed Thursday. It's not mentioned anywhere in the budget proposal the Democrat released this week, but the oldest portion of Stateville Correctional Center would wind down operations during the year that begins July 1. Blagojevich was pounded by lawmakers in 2004 when he attempted to close a southern Illinois prison. He'll face opposition this time, too. Stateville is on the turf of Debbie Halvorson, a state Senate majority leader running for Congress. It would mean moving 400 jobs represented by the powerful American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees. The prison also has a high percentage of minority employees at a time when the department is under pressure to improve minority hiring.