SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — An online effort has been launched to try to raise enough money to put Christmas lights on the Illinois State Capitol dome this holiday season.
The (Springfield) State Journal-Register reports that Illinois Policy Institute executive vice president Kristina Rasmussen launched the GoFundMe website on Thursday. Earlier this week Secretary of State Jesse White’s office said it would skip the annual tradition because the lights are an unnecessary $7,300 cost amid the state budget impasse.
Rasmussen said she thought the community would “help step up and privately fundraise” if the lights were valued. The website had $750 in donations as of Friday morning.
White spokesman Dave Druker says the office appreciates the effort and “it’s something we’ll take a serious look at.”
