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In the first increase in two decades, lawmakers temporarily raised the allowance last year to $60, up from $50 for people in group homes and from $30 for residents of intermediate care facilities. Now, it's returning to the lower levels in place before the law, which granted the increase for fiscal year 2015 only.
Gov. Bruce Rauner has signed legislation that allows bars and restaurants to begin offering happy hour drink specials for the first time in more than 25 years.
Courts on opposite sides of the state have issued opinions about whether state employees should continue to get paychecks while the impasse over a yearlong spending plan continues between Democrats in the Legislature and Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner.
Democrat Lisa Madigan announced Thursday that she has been working with Comptroller Leslie Munger to identify essential services that can be funded without appropriation authority from the General Assembly.
In a new twist to the state's ongoing budget battle, Gov. Bruce Rauner has vetoed salary increases for Illinois lawmakers, and other highly paid state employees.
House Speaker Michael Madigan (D-Chicago) planned to call for a vote on a $2.3 billion one-month budget to avoid the shutdown, but Gov. Bruce Rauner's office has indicated he would veto any such measure.
It's a race against the clock in Springfield, with lawmakers and Gov. Bruce Rauner facing a midnight deadline to reach a deal on the state budget so no state services are interrupted.
The governor blamed House Speaker Michael Madigan and Senate President John Cullerton for sending him a spending plan that is nearly $4 billion short on revenue.
Illinois Democrats' cross-party dispute in the state Capitol turned internal Tuesday when the majority party in the House failed to approve giving cash-strapped Chicago Public Schools a six-week reprieve on making a $634 million pension contribution.
The Illinois General Assembly makes what has become its weekly return to Springfield with a state budget still unresolved and only eight days before it's due.
The idea is to turn snow days – or days off school due to extreme cold, or heavy snow – into so-called "e-learning days," when school districts could provide online instruction to students.
Illinois State Comptroller Leslie Munger told reporters Wednesday that if lawmakers can't agree on a budget before the start of the July 1 fiscal year, state workers will start missing paychecks July 15 and state vendors won't receive payments.
The state has banned happy hour drink specials since 1989, in an effort to cut down on drunk driving, though bars and restaurants were still allowed to designate "happy days," when they could offer discounted drinks on a specific day of the week.
Illinois' House Speaker says his chamber plans to be in "continuous session" throughout the summer.
Union-friendly Illinois Democrats say Gov. Bruce Rauner has so poisoned contract negotiations with state workers that they pushed legislation Thursday that would prohibit either a strike or the Republican governor locking workers out.
Democrats who control the Legislature are advancing a 2016 budget that's more than $3 billion short of anticipated revenues. Republicans have criticized the spending plan as irresponsible.
Illinois Democrats agreed to give some of Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner's priority reforms a platform Wednesday but still voted them down in an exercise that could further fuel a politically charged standoff that's expected to extend the summer.
Proposals addressing workers compensation, changes to the civil legal system and a freeze on property taxes are on the agenda Wednesday in Senate committees.
A standoff between Republican Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner and majority Democrats is threatening to derail action on a long list of issues as lawmakers enter the final week of their spring session.
Democratic Speaker Michael J. Madigan's office says Thursday's vote is planned even though the governor hasn't filed a bill with the Legislature.
A future Chicago casino could generate much-needed revenue and draw crowds to city hotels and restaurants, tourism experts testified Monday during a gambling expansion hearing that comes as state legislators stare down a budget deadline and fresh concerns about finding new funding sources.
The decree puts new Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner and Democrats who control the General Assembly back at the starting line in trying to figure out how to wrestle down a $111 billion deficit in what's necessary to cover its state employee retirement obligations.
A respected budget watchdog group has come out with a sharply critical analysis of Gov. Bruce Rauner's fiscal plan for Illinois.
Unlike his predecessor, Gov. Bruce Rauner isn't slamming the door on a proposed casino for Chicago. At the same time, Rauner has reservations about expanding casino gaming in Illinois.
Victims of campus sex assaults in Illinois would have confidential university advisers to help guide them through the legal and medical systems under a legislative proposal that has passed the state House.
A person is dead after a fire and possible explosion at a mobile home in the southwest Chicago suburb of Merrionette Park late Sunday.
A Chicago police squad car was wrecked early Monday in a crash in Wrigleyville.
Chicago started the last Monday morning of 2025 with nasty wind and snow.
Brock Purdy threw a 38-yard touchdown pass to Jauan Jennings with 2:15 to play, and the San Francisco 49ers forced an incomplete pass on the final play from the 2 to beat the Chicago Bears 42-38 and set up a Week 18 showdown for the top seed in the NFC.
The Penguins led 4-0 midway through the first period.
The Veterans Affairs Department is reimposing a near total ban on abortions for veterans and their families that was modified in 2022.
Strikes against ISIS targets in Nigeria come after President Trump spent weeks accusing the West African country's government of failing to rein in the persecution of Christians.
The message, aired on Channel 4 on Christmas Day, reflected on the impact of President Trump's second term in office thus far.
Pope Leo XIV has revealed he privately urged Gov. JB Pritzker not to sign a bill legalizing medical assistance in dying in Illinois.
President Trump invoked a law called Title 10 to bring members of the Illinois National Guard under federal service over the objections of state and local leaders.
A new report shines a light on electricity shortages that Illinois could face in less than 10 years.
With less than two weeks until Christmas, if you're sending gifts to people far from home, the deadlines to get them there on time are fast approaching.
A condo owner in Country Club Hills says he's forced to sell his home after his condo association failed to reimburse him for repairs to his leaking roof. Edward Hadnott's condo has sat empty since a major roof leak in 2022.
The U.S. stopped minting pennies this week, and some groups have issued a warning about the headaches that can create for some businesses and consumers.
Why is one school in the west Chicago suburb of Lisle paying a water bill three times higher than another? The answer has to do with a private utility company.
Millions of people with an Affordable Care Act health plan face a massive jump in premiums next year — this chart shows just how much.
It's the holiday season, which means it's the most common time of year for norovirus to spread. Here's what you need to know about this winter stomach bug.
A study conducted in part by Chicago's Northwestern Medicine found that tanning beds not only triple the risk of melanoma, but can also damage DNA across nearly the whole skin surface.
An investigation into the case of a Michigan man who contracted rabies after an organ transplant provided more details on the infection's origin.
The newest measles vaccination numbers released by Chicago Public Schools shows immunizations are finally moving in the right direction.
The Chicago Bears are expanding their search for a new stadium to Northwest Indiana, even though they already own land in Arlington Heights and have also proposed a new lakefront stadium in Chicago.
A Culver's is coming to Chicago's South Loop, a real estate broker has confirmed.
A new vision for passenger rail is on track in southeastern Wisconsin. The MARK Passenger Rail Commission held its inaugural meeting on December 5, 2025, at Racine City Hall.
U.S. Steel says it'll resume making steel slabs at its Granite City Works plant in Illinois amid strengthening demand.
Traffic at O'Hare International Airport is growing faster than expected, and this has Chicago city leaders wanting to make big changes to future construction plans at the airport.
It marks the second lawsuit in recent months accusing the filmmaker and studio mogul of leveraging his power in Hollywood to make sexual advances.
The band announced Perry Bamonte's death on their official website on Friday.
The message, aired on Channel 4 on Christmas Day, reflected on the impact of President Trump's second term in office thus far.
The singer said an MRI showed a cancerous spot on one of his lungs after he recovered from a lengthy bout of bronchitis.
James Ransone, the actor who played Ziggy Sobotka in the HBO series "The Wire" and appeared in many other TV shows and movies, has died.
A winter weather advisory is also in effect until 3 p.m. for Cook, Kane, McHenry, Lake County, and DeKalb counties in Illinois.
As hundreds fled and gunfire rang out, Ahmed Al Ahmed ran toward the gunman, tackling him to the ground.
Police said the victims were getting into a car when four unidentified suspects approached them on foot, pulled out guns, and opened fire.
SoCal Gas is looking into whether heavy rain shifted the ground under the pipe, causing it to burst.
Their conditions were unknown, but police said they were stabilized.
Chicago started the last Monday morning of 2025 with nasty wind and snow.
Chicago police on Sunday morning were investigating a deadly mass shooting in the city's River North district.
The victims were taken to hospitals in unknown condition.
A person is dead after a fire and possible explosion at a mobile home in the southwest Chicago suburb of Merrionette Park late Sunday.
A Chicago police squad car was wrecked early Monday in a crash in Wrigleyville.
Cameras not working, video evidence missed by police and a psychic that leads a hit and run victim's son to a clue that changes the case
Some Chicago area hospitals are at risk of significant flooding both in and around the buildings, according to new KFF Health News/Fathom models.
Lawmakers in Springfield are looking to address the high water bills being reported in some suburbs from customers of Illinois American Water.
Electric bills in the Chicago area could go up as much as $70 in the next three years because of data centers, according to the Citizens Utility Board.
Advocates and legislators are seeking solutions and and accountability for a pattern of Chicago police arresting Black gun owners on firearms charges despite valid FOID and CCL licenses.
Brock Purdy threw a 38-yard touchdown pass to Jauan Jennings with 2:15 to play, and the San Francisco 49ers forced an incomplete pass on the final play from the 2 to beat the Chicago Bears 42-38 and set up a Week 18 showdown for the top seed in the NFC.
The Penguins led 4-0 midway through the first period.
The Bears have the potential to become the NFC's No. 1 seed with victories over the San Francisco 49ers and Detroit Lions and one loss by the Seattle Seahawks.
Up 95-94 with about five minutes to play, Milwaukee got 3-pointers from Rollins and AJ Green during an 8-0 run that gave it some breathing room. The Bulls never got closer than three the rest of the night.
Jalen Smith sparked a game-ending run with a thunderous dunk on Joel Embiid, and the Chicago Bulls matched a season high with their fifth straight win, beating the Philadelphia 76ers 109-102.
The ages of the victims range from 18 to 55, according to police.
A man was slashed during a fight on a CTA Blue Line train early Sunday.
The Civilian Office of Police Accountability was investigating Sunday after a shot was fired as a teenager struggled with a Chicago police officer who was trying to arrest him on the city's Southwest Side.
Chicago police on Sunday morning were investigating a deadly mass shooting in the city's River North district.
Officers found a woman of unknown age with a gunshot wound to her head, but she was alert and able to communicate with responding officers, Chesteron police said.
