Illinois governor to bear grim news over pension crisis

CHICAGO (Reuters) – Illinois Governor Pat Quinn, already the most unpopular governor in the nation, has his work cut out for him at his annual "state of the state" speech on Wednesday – and this time he probably won't be relying on a python named "Squeezy." The fiscal crisis caused by pension underfunding in Illinois is so bad that some hospitals wait a year to be paid by the state for insurance claims. At the same time, teachers in Chicago's wealthy suburbs are retiring with six-figure salaries set by school districts on which pensions are calculated, and the state pays the bill. …