State misses deadline to close Pontiac prison

SPRINGFIELD -- A state senator says the Illinois Department of Corrections has missed a deadline to file paperwork outlining its plan to close the aging Pontiac Correctional Center.

State Senator Dan Rutherford says the agency knew a month and a half ago it needed to file the papers to comply with a state law governing the closure or move of state facilities.

The Corrections Department blames the error on budget gridlock in Springfield and has asked for a two-week extension on the report.

The agency proposed closing the maximum-security facility after shelving plans to shutter a similar unit in Joliet.

Some have questioned whether it's political payback by Governor Rod Blagojevich's administration for lawmakers who supported a failed recall measure aimed at the governor.