New Gov. Pat Quinn gave the official OK to reopen the historic sites
earlier this month, making good on a promise he made before he became governor.
The sites include a Springfield house designed by Frank Lloyd Wright
and a farm owned by Abraham Lincoln's family near Charleston.
Blagojevich closed the sites in December to save money.
The Historic Preservation Agency says it will cost $800,000 to keep
the sites open through June, when the current budget expires. Quinn
has ordered the sites to stay open under the next budget, even as he
cuts spending in some other areas.
All 33 laid-off employees were offered their jobs back, but some
had already found new employment.
[Associated Press]
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