Blagojevich calls for special session

CHICAGO - Gov. Rod Blagojevich wants lawmakers back at work in Springfield to consider a newly slimmed-down version of his statewide construction program that has stalled because of feuding and disagreements. Blagojevich on Tuesday called a special session for Aug. 12-13 to deal with the plan that has a lower price tag - $25 billion instead of $34 billion - and no longer relies on gambling expansion as a major source of revenue for it. “That's news to me,” state Rep. Robert Pritchard, R-Hinckley, said when told Tuesday by the Daily Chronicle of the special session, adding the governor was overstepping his bounds by calling it. “I didn't realize he was the speaker nowadays.” Last week, Blagojevich met with three of the four top legislative l