Illinois appears to be heading south in more ways than one, a financial expert said on a Chicago-based radio show recently.

After two years without a budget and a failed attempt to compromise on a "grand bargain," some in Illinois are asking whether bankruptcy is a viable way out of the state's financial morass.

Kurt Prenzler, chairman of the Madison County Board, is warning residents that the 1 percent proposed sales tax increase on the April 4 ballot is a mistake.