CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) -- Former Gov. Jim Edgar says Illinois has never pulled together very well.
Edgar says that problem has become more acute in the past decade. And he says it's costing the state as it tries to dig out of deep financial problems.
Edgar hopes to chip away that problem with the new Edgar Fellows initiative at the Institute for Government and Public Affairs at the University of Illinois.
The former Republican governor will start with a group of 40 politicians and others from around the state. They'll meet in a training session and follow-ups on key issues.
State Rep. Chapin Rose of Mahomet is among the 40. He says legislative leaders often divided by geography and ideology can find common ground in the kind of problems Illinois faces.
(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
