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Gov. Pat Quinn was moving to call a special session of the Illinois General Assembly next month to vote on legislation to set up a special election in 2016 for the Illinois State Comptroller's office.
The case involves the pension fix lawmakers and Gov. Pat Quinn adopted last year. The law cut retirement benefits and made other changes to help fill a $111 billion deficit in five state pensions systems caused by years of state underfunding.
Fast food and home healthcare workers were rallying in the River North neighborhood early Thursday, hoping to keep the pressure on state lawmakers to raise the minimum wage.
Illinois lawmakers face a number of issues as they wind down their fall veto session but won't consider increasing the state's minimum wage. Votes could come Wednesday on an expanded election law and a state health-insurance exchange.
Aldermen have set the stage to hike the city's minimum wage to $13 an hour over the next four-and-a-half years, under a measure the City Council is expected to approve Tuesday.
Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan said she expects the state's highest court could take up the state's landmark pension overhaul plan by the end of January, now that a lower court judge has ruled it unconstitutional.
With state lawmakers set to return to Springfield for three days of veto session later this week, and then again in early December, advocates for a higher minimum wage were urging the legislature to act on a measure to increase the minimum wage in Illinois to $10 an hour.
Democrats and Republicans on a state panel looking into the governor's scandal-plagued 2010 anti-violence program were accusing each other of playing politics on Thursday as former Quinn administration aides testified in Chicago.
The Chicago Democrat approved the bipartisan legislation that will also provide lawmakers with opportunities to attend popular ribbon-cutting ceremonies in an election year.
A law enacted last year authorized a four-year pilot project that will expire in 2017. So far, not a single marijuana seed has been planted. But now that rules have been approved, the state agencies running the program can start posting applications for a limited number of grower and retailer permits.
Not a single marijuana seed has been planted in Illinois' pilot medical cannabis program. But medical marijuana is inching closer to reality and a meeting set for Tuesday will shape the program's future.
Plans to expand gambling in Illinois were put on hold Friday when the backer of legislation proposing new casinos said he wouldn't call the measure for a vote until he resolved lingering issues and had key support.
Illinois lawmakers continued to grapple Wednesday with a new state budget, as Republicans ripped majority Democrats for spending beyond their means with a plan even Democrats acknowledge leaves "big unanswered questions" about the state's finances.
Having given up on extending Illinois' temporary income tax increase -- at least for now -- the Illinois Legislature is moving forward with a scaled-back budget that could lead to layoffs, further delays in paying the state's bills and a post-election vote to make the tax hike permanent or generate some other source of revenue.
House Speaker Michael Madigan emerged from a Memorial Day caucus meeting and told reporters that he was dropping the idea of making the 5 percent income tax permanent -- and crafting a budget blueprint that holds the line on spending but is not the "doomsday" plan the House overwhelmingly rejected on Friday.
The Illinois General Assembly could soon vote on a measure that would allow psychologists — who are not medical doctors — to prescribe medicines much the same as psychiatrists who have medical degrees.
The legislation was prompted by the 2008 death of St. Charles High School student Lauren Laman during a drill team practice. Laman's parents say her life may have been saved if her teammates were properly trained to use an automatic external defibrillator, or AED.
Newly released figures that show downstate school districts gaining at the expense of suburban ones have fueled a debate among lawmakers about a proposed overhaul of the complicated school funding formula that Illinois has used for almost two decades.
The public-private development would fund the proposed Illiana toll road, a 47-mile east-west road connecting Interstate 55 near Wilmington, Ill., and Interstate 65 near Lowell, Ind.
A legislative commission that helps review the use of public money has voted to grant itself subpoena powers to investigate Gov. Pat Quinn's troubled anti-violence program.
Court proceedings have begun in a lawsuit that aims to block proposals for term limits for the Illinois legislature from being placed on the November ballot, reports WBBM Political Editor Craig Dellimore.
With the help of wealthy donors and a bipartisan group of politicians, a petition to end the gerrymandering of Illinois election districts was presented Thursday, but it faces a stiff constitutional challenge that could keep the question off the November ballot.
An Illinois law that requires juveniles accused of the most serious crimes to be charged as adults may be discriminatory, prevents judges from exercising their judgment and makes it more likely that those who are convicted will commit violent crimes in the future, according to a study due out Tuesday.
Illinois voters will consider a constitutional amendment this fall aimed at scuttling attempts at voter suppression after Senate action Thursday.
Charter school advocates said at least 12 pieces of proposed legislation in Springfield would harm charter schools if approved.
A United Airlines flight from Washington D.C. to San Francisco was diverted to O'Hare International Airport in Chicago on Monday night, due to an unruly passenger.
Rideshare drivers from across Illinois kicked off a two-day fight Tuesday for better pay and working conditions.
Lawrence Reed, the man accused of setting a young woman on fire on a Chicago Transit Authority train this past November, appeared in court Tuesday.
Students at two high schools in Chicago's suburbs planned to walk out of classes on Tuesday afternoon to protest U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Chick-fil-A and an urban farming organization are teaming up to help expand access to fresh food across the city.
Rideshare drivers from across Illinois kicked off a two-day fight Tuesday for better pay and working conditions.
As the EU calls Trump's threat to tariff allies for rejecting his bid for Greenland a mistake, Denmark's leader laments "being threatened by our closest ally."
A controversial data center in Naperville, Illinois, could be the cause to pack a city council meeting there on Tuesday night.
Andrew Johnson is the latest in a series of pardoned Jan. 6 riot defendants to face new criminal charges.
A U.S. citizen detained by ICE at gunpoint in his underwear in frigid conditions in Minnesota asks, "What did I do wrong?" The Associated Press says
A controversial data center in Naperville, Illinois, could be the cause to pack a city council meeting there on Tuesday night.
Police in the west Chicago suburb of Geneva are warning of a scam involving spoofed phone numbers.
Protesters on Tuesday were cranking up the heat on Peoples Gas over a recently proposed rate hike that would add an additional $10 to $11 a month to utility bills.
A lawsuit filed late last month took Chicago-based McDonald's to task over the McRib sandwich, calling its name a form of false advertising.
As this holiday season nears its end, Illinois Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias issued a warning Tuesday about text scams.
Roughly 1.4 million fewer Americans have signed up for an Affordable Care Act plan as expiring tax breaks drive up premiums.
January is Radon Action Month, and the Cook County Department of Public Health is urging residents to test their homes for radon.
Severe flu season is sending many people to hospital emergency rooms across the country, including in the Chicago area.
Unionized health care workers this week took aim at Northwestern Medicine, saying the health care system needs to hire more people before expanding the emergency room at Northwestern Memorial Hospital.
The Illinois Department of Public Health announced Tuesday that its recommendations for childhood vaccines will not be affected by a change in federal guidelines.
A development proposal issued this month calls for the replacement of a building housing a Giordiano's pizzeria in Chicago's Lakeview neighborhood with a new mixed-use building with 28 residential units.
United Airlines flight attendants picketed outside Chicago's Willis Tower Thursday morning as they fought for a new contract.
WSCR-AM, 670 The Score, will begin a simulcast on 104.3 FM next month.
Does the Chicago Bears' dramatic improvement this season, culminating in their first playoff run in five years, change the discussion about where they will build a new stadium?
The Piggery, a popular barbecue restaurant and bar in the northwest corner of Chicago's Lakeview neighborhood, announced Thursday that it is going out of business.
If you can't get enough of "Heated Rivalry," merch from the show is now available.
A flamenco dance series in Chicago is expanding access to the arts by bringing the expressive traditional dance form to Chicago communities.
Monday is the opening day for a new exhibit at the Griffin Museum of Science and Industry that immerses visitors into the imaginative world of award-winning fashion and costume designer Paul Tazewell.
Scott Adams, the cartoonist who created the "Dilbert" comic strip, has died at the age of 68, his first ex-wife revealed on Tuesday.
Here is everything you need to know about how to watch and stream the 2026 Golden Globes.
Rideshare drivers from across Illinois kicked off a two-day fight Tuesday for better pay and working conditions.
Meteorologist Kylee Miller is tracking snow moving into the area.
Lawrence Reed, the man accused of setting a young woman on fire on a Chicago Transit Authority train this past November, appeared in court Tuesday.
President Trump heads to Davos, Switzerland later Tuesday for the World Economic Forum, where his push for Greenland is expected to dominate conversations at the summit. Natalie Brand has more details from the White House.
A passenger on a flight to Chicago from New Mexico said their pilot told them a pipe burst in the control tower, which in turn is affecting airport operations and prompted the ground delay.
A ground delay is in effect at Chicago O'Hare Airport Tuesday morning for equipment issues after a pipe burst in the main control tower overnight.
It is a very cold Tuesday in Chicago, which falls right in line with this day in 1985.
Lawrence Reed, the man accused of setting a young woman on fire on a Chicago Transit Authority train this past November, appeared in court Tuesday.
A United Airlines flight from Washington D.C. to San Francisco was diverted to O'Hare International Airport in Chicago on Monday night, due to an unruly passenger.
Rideshare drivers from across Illinois kicked off a two-day fight Tuesday for better pay and working conditions.
Chicago police issued a warning about a string of vehicle break-ins involving Honda Civics on the South Side.
Even as Mayor Brandon Johnson has warned of possible mid-year city worker layoffs if revenue estimates in the budget fall short, city employees and workers at the city's sister agencies owe a mountain of outstanding debt to the city.
Lead-based paint was banned for serious health reasons in 1978, but most homes built before then remain covered in it.
Fire department officials in Chicago's western suburbs said drone technology has been helping keep firefighters safe and make a major impact on public safety.
With the stores becoming a common target for thieves, some of the stores in the Chicago area are taking new steps to fight back.
Connor Bedard added an empty-net goal as the Blackhawks stopped a three-game slide. It was Bedard's first goal since returning from a right shoulder injury.
A program that had played in a grand total of 13 bowl games in the 130-some years before coach Curt Cignetti arrived in 2024 went on a historic run en route to a 16-0 season and a national title.
Caleb Williams was reflective the day after and focused on attacking the offseason, while appreciating the impact this team had on the city of Chicago.
Caleb Williams' last throw in regulation was a backpedaling, fourth-down rainbow that landed in Cole Kmet's hands in the corner of the end zone for a breathtaking touchdown.
Despite forcing OT with a catch in the final minute in the 4th Quarter, the Chicago Bears' playoff journey comes to an end.
Lawrence Reed, the man accused of setting a young woman on fire on a Chicago Transit Authority train this past November, appeared in court Tuesday.
The video shows burglars slicing into display cases under the eyes of several Louvre Museum staff members who do not intervene.
A judge and his wife were shot and wounded in their home over the weekend in Lafayette, Indiana.
A jewelry store in Chicago's Little India district was robbed at gunpoint Sunday evening.
A man was arrested and charged this weekend with a string of armed robberies and burglaries within a period of just over an hour earlier this month in Chicago.
