As if Illinois didn't have enough to worry about between an imminent downgrade to junk (as soon as July 1), soaring debt costs, insolvent pension funds, and roads that may soon resemble the lunar surface, today in the latest insult to a relentless series of injuries, the lottery itself is about to dump Illinois.

According to the Sun Times, the Multi-State Lottery Association, the organization that runs the Powerball lottery and Mega Millions games, will drop Illinois at the end of June without a budget agreement. Since Illinois has been unable to compromise on a budget for the past two years, and not even the threat of being the first US state in history of being "junked" has prompted a compromise, it most likely means that Illinois resident have just two more weeks of "get rich quick" opportunities, before they are cut off from the rest of America.

Speaking on Thursday, Illinois Lottery spokesman Jason Schaumburg confirmed that the games will be dropped without a state budget. He said the association has had discussions since 2015 about dropping Illinois, but this is the first time the group has taken action. He called it "another example of why the General Assembly needs to deliver a balanced budget to the governor." Alas, if the recent surge in Illinois GO debt yields...

.... or the threat of a default in the face of almost $15 billion in unpaid bills has failed to convinced the General Assembly, we doubt this will.

"Its unfortunate. Powerball was the only thing that I would buy, because I knew that it would pay out," said Anthony Martinez, who lives in the Logan Square neighborhood. "With the Illinois budget crisis, it's not a guarantee that Illinois' going to actually pay out on your lottery winnings."

According to the Sun Times, the state reported $99.4 million in Mega Millions sales and $208 million in Powerball sales within the 2016 budget year. It's unclear how much revenue the state got from the sale of those tickets.

The Multi-State Lottery Association is a non-profit, government-benefit association owned and operated by its 36 member lotteries. All profits are retained by the state lottery and are used to fund projects approved by the state legislatures, according to the association. The Illinois Lottery isn't part of the association.

Powerball is offered in 44 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Mega Millions is offered in 44 states, along with the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Then again, removing the temptation of some of the high-profile lottery games is "not necessarily a terrible thing." Woodlawn resident Shaneen Murray said many people waste money on the lottery that they probably could be spending on other things.

"Maybe people can save money, or put their money toward something better," she said. And, as we explained previously, she is absolutely correct.

As we explained in January 2016, the Powerball and various other state lotteries are nothing but a tax, if entirely voluntary, on America's poor.

Michigan Rep. Mike Bishop tells WWJ Newsradio 950 he was attending the practice around 5:30 a.m., just outside of Alexandria, when shots rang out. He said he and his colleagues were "sitting ducks."

"As we were standing here this morning, a gunman walked up to the fence line and just began to shoot. I was standing at home plate and he was in the third base line," Bishop said. "He had a rifle that was clearly meant for the job of taking people out, multiple casualties, and he had several rounds and magazines that he kept unloading and reloading."

More than 50 shots were fired, according to CBS News, with some accounts putting the number closer to 100. Four people were injured, including two Capitol Hill police officers and House Majority Whip Steve Scalise. The suspect was also shot.

"The only reason why any of us walked out of this thing, by the grace of God, one of the folks here had a weapon to fire back and give us a moment to find cover. We were inside the backstop and if we didn't have that cover by a brave person who stood up and took a shot themselves, we would not have gotten out of there and every one of us would have been hit — every single one of us," said Bishop. "He was coming around the fence line and he was looking for all of us who had found cover in different spots. But if we didn't have return fire right there, he would have come up to each one of us and shot us point-blank."

Bishop was uninjured. General Jack Bergman, who represents northern Michigan and the Upper Peninsula, and John Moolenaar, from Midland, were also at the practice; both uninjured. Democratic members of Congress were practicing at a different field, miles away.

"Two of our staff was hit, Steve Scalise was hit on second base, I watched him get hit and I couldn't do anything to help him. We tried to get him off as fast as we could but this guy was relentless with his fire," he said. "One of our staffers got hit in the chest and I pray for him, I just don't know what the outcome is going to be. This is a tragic situation and frankly, it's changed everything as I know it forever."

A suspect, who received at least one gunshot, is believed to be in custody. Bishop said the man didn't speak a word.

"He stood there silently. None of us saw him walk up," he said. "One of our coaches had his son, his 11-year-old son — I have an 11-year-old son, too, who's supposed to be here — and I am just, I can't even tell you, I don't know. Fortunately everybody's OK. It's just traumatic."

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Eyewitness Joseph Miscavige captured the aftermath of the shooting, showing bullet holes in nearby windows: "Active shooter situation during this mornings trip to the Y. Terrifying. Am ok. Sheltered in place & under lockdown."

President Trump has just confirmed that Hodgkinson has died from wounds incurred during his shootout with the Capitol Police this morning.

Dramatic video has emerged showing the moment a man opened fire on GOP congressmen at a Virginia baseball field, injuring five people, including House majority whip Steve Scalise.

More than two dozen shots can be heard in the video, which was filmed by eyewitness Noah Nathan. His video contains graphic language.

"Do we know where he's at?" Nathan says to a person off-camera, in reference to the gunman's location.

"I assume people have been calling 911 already," he added.

At one point, a man is seen lying in the middle of the baseball field, located in Alexandria, Virginia.

"Is that guy ok out there? The guy... who's been shot. Is he ok? Is anybody talking to him?" Nathan asks.

Numerous gunshots continue to be heard, with several short breaks between firings.

People are seen huddled around the man lying on the baseball field at the end of the video, while sirens are heard in the background.

Nathan told the New York Post that he filmed the video from the dog park next to Eugene Simpson Stadium Park, where the GOP congressmen were practicing.

He said he was more "pissed off than scared" during the attack.

Five people were injured in the attack, including House majority whip Steve Scalise, who was loaded into a helicopter on a stretcher. He is in critical condition after undergoing surgery.

The shooter later died from his injuries in hospital, according to a tweet from President Donald Trump.

Although authorities at the press conference declined to identify the shooter, the Washington Post identified him as 66-year-old James T. Hodgkinson of Belleville, Illinois, citing law enforcement sources.

US Congressman Steve Scalise is in critical condition after being shot in the hip while practicing with the congressional Republican baseball team on Wednesday in Alexandria, Virginia, MedStar Washington Hospital Center said in a statement.

"Rep. Scalise was critically injured and remains in critical condition," the hospital stated in a Twitter message.

​The Louisiana congressman was among five people who were shot when a gunman opened fire on their practice field. Two of the five were Capitol Police who were wounded in an exchange of gunfire with the shooter. The shooter, who has died from his injuries, has been identified as James T. Hodgkinson, 66, of Illinois.

Matt Mika of Tyson Foods, another one of those injured in the shooting, is also in critical condition and is in surgery, according to a statement from his family. Mika was shot multiple times, his family was told.