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Delivering his first budget address since winning office last fall, Gov. Bruce Rauner said his plan would end "the irresponsible and reckless practices of the past." He said lawmakers must be willing to make politically unpopular decisions to close a more than $6 billion budget hole next year.
Saying he wants the state to do more to keep people out of prison, Gov. Bruce Rauner has formed a commission to study possible changes to the state's criminal justice system.
A day after outlining an ambitious agenda for his first year in office, Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner Thursday was confronted with a state budget that is millions of dollars short for programs such as subsidized day care that are rapidly running out of money.
Gov. Bruce Rauner laid out a first-year agenda Wednesday he said will help Illinois better compete with its neighbors, largely by stripping power from labor unions, shrinking the size of government and making the state more attractive to companies looking to create jobs.
The Republican's first State of the State address, scheduled for noon Wednesday before the General Assembly in Springfield, comes as some state agencies and programs already are running out of money this year and with Illinois facing an even greater budget gap next year.
House and Senate Democrats will seek to protect their own interests and constituencies in eventual negotiations with Rauner. While he speaks of the need for steep budget cuts, they'll likely seek to protect social services, state workers and Medicaid recipients.
A conservative Republican lawmaker from Wheaton has teamed up with a liberal Democrat from Chicago in an effort to make Illinois a "right to try" state.
Recent police-caused deaths in Ferguson, Missouri, and New York City and an ongoing concern about racial sensitivity is behind a set of police reform bills sponsored by Illinois Democrats, who say measured steps are needed to address the underlying issues.
Gov. Bruce Rauner said he will propose a number of reforms to turn the state around, and indicated they would involve making Illinois more attractive to businesses while slashing spending on everything from health insurance for the poor to public-worker pensions and the state's payroll.
Rauner's inauguration ceremony was scheduled for 11 a.m. Monday at the Prairie Capital Convention Center in Springfield. He was set to take the oath of office along with Lt. Gov. Evelyn Sanguinetti, Attorney General Lisa Madigan, Secretary of State Jesse White, Treasurer Mike Frerichs, and Comptroller Leslie Munger.
The head of the agency that oversees children who are wards of the state told state lawmakers Wednesday that a revolving door at the top is partly to blame for abuses that have plagued the department for decades.
Gov. Pat Quinn signed legislation Monday giving Illinois' attorney general more power to stop pension payments to convicted felons.
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.
An overnight fire destroyed a home in south suburban Crete, Illinois. The school district says three children who were students in their schools were killed.
The Chicago Urban Heritage Project is filling in blanks for the history of entire neighborhoods and Chicago as a whole, through cycles of demolition and rebuilding, disinvestment and gentrification.
Pete Crow-Armstrong has agreed to a $115 million, six-year contract with the Chicago Cubs, establishing the All-Star center fielder as one of the franchise's core players.
Several groups will rally in Springfield on Wednesday to urge Illinois state lawmakers to pass various pieces of legislation.
An investigaiton is underway after human remains were found in Mokena, Illinois, on Tuesday.
Senate Democrats have made their latest counteroffer to end the Department of Homeland Security shutdown. Follow live updates.
Mayor Brandon Johnson on Tuesday said he was not aware of a hostile work environment complaint two of his top aides filed months before he fired them last week.
Delta is temporarily halting specialty services for members of Congress, citing strain on its resources during the partial government shutdown.
President Trump has long railed against mail-in voting, but used the method this month in a Florida election, public records indicate.
Democrats are pushing for reforms to Immigration and Customs Enforcement as the Senate appeared to be closing in on a deal to fund the Department of Homeland Security.
Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias this weekend issued a warning about a surge in text messages that falsely claim to come from his office or the DMV within it.
Tenants at a South Loop luxury high-rise that has been plagued with problems like broken elevators are vowing to fight five-day eviction notices.
It's become an annual March Madness tradition at CBS Chicago, pitting our city's best eateries in direct competition in a foodie bracket challenge. We did pizza, we've done Italian beef, we've done Chicago dogs. This year, we're taking flight with wings.
For Cook County residents hoping to lower their property tax bills, applications are open for exemptions.
Officials in the north Chicago suburb of Wilmette issued a warning Tuesday about scammers who are impersonating representatives of village departments.
Ending domestic violence is the goal of groups and advocates all over the world, and some experts in Chicago say it is time to become less reactive and more proactive when it comes to the people causing harm.
A new Iowa law bans local nondiscrimination protections on the basis of gender identity after the state became the first in the U.S. to roll back its civil rights code last year.
Food containing norovirus may smell and taste normal but still cause serious illness if consumed, FDA warns.
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker on Monday announced a $1.5 billion investment from biotherapeutics company CSL for a new plasma therapy manufacturing plant in Kanakee.
When a doctor was told there was no cure for his daughter's condition, he was motivated to transform not only her health, but the lives of thousands of others.
Chicago consistently ranks in the top three cities in Fortune 500 company headquarters, and now a competition has been launched to build on Chicago's power in business.
The flagship Ann Sather restaurant on Belmont Avenue in Chicago's Lakeview community will be moving later this year, a restaurant representative said Tuesday.
Chicago Bulls legend Scottie Pippen threw some shade at former teammate Michael Jordan in a new pop commercial.
The City Council in Aurora, Illinois, is likely to lay down the hammer on data centers.
Hundreds of workers were locked out of the BP refinery in Whiting, Indiana, on Thursday after contract negotiations failed to produce a deal ahead of a midnight deadline.
Chicago-native John Mulaney announced a new stop at the Wisconsin State Fair this summer.
Following a ribbon-cutting attended by Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson on Saturday, people were let inside the new space, at 5035 N. Broadway right off Argyle Street, for a special open house.
Chuck Norris' family said his death at 86 was sudden, but did not share any details on the cause.
ABC has canceled its already filmed season of "The Bachelorette" starring Taylor Frankie Paul after video surfaced of a 2023 incident in which she was charged with assault.
Acclaimed Chicago bar and music venue The Hideout has been sold to a performer and former employee, but the owners said it will carry on as the same beloved place that visitors have always known.
An overnight fire destroyed a home in south suburban Crete, Illinois. The school district says three children who were students in their schools were killed.
Meteorologist David Yeomans is tracking severe weather.
Authorities believe someone kidnapped Nancy Guthrie, 84, from her Arizona home seven weeks ago.
Iranian leaders have rejected a ceasefire proposal put forth by the Trump administration. Instead, Iran issued its own counter-proposal, and sources told CNN that Iranians would rather negotiate with Vice President JD Vance. Meantime, Iran continues to launch strikes on Israel, and President Trump is sending more troops to the region.
The Chicago Park District is searching for an artist to create a statue of Jean Baptiste Point du Sable for the city founder’s namesake park.
An overnight fire destroyed a home in south suburban Crete, Illinois. The school district says three children who were students in their schools were killed.
An investigaiton is underway after human remains were found in Mokena, Illinois, on Tuesday.
The Chicago Urban Heritage Project is filling in blanks for the history of entire neighborhoods and Chicago as a whole, through cycles of demolition and rebuilding, disinvestment and gentrification.
Several groups will rally in Springfield on Wednesday to urge Illinois state lawmakers to pass various pieces of legislation.
The robot belonging to Coco Robotics was spotted by a CBS News Chicago viewer near North Avenue and Halsted Street in Old Town on Tuesday afternoon.
Homeowners in Berwyn said they are constantly having to pump out sewage to keep it from flooding their basements.
CBS News Chicago learned that she was hired at the school in Mundelein in 2023, which was after DCFS found credible evidence that Servant had injured her children as a form of discipline.
United Steel Workers union representatives said that some workers had already had their access cards deactivated.
Have you ever walked into a business with no employees? You may soon; autonomous businesses are becoming more popular.
Streets were left pooled with rainwater, and homes flooded after Sunday night's storms. Residents say there is one clear solution
Pete Crow-Armstrong has agreed to a $115 million, six-year contract with the Chicago Cubs, establishing the All-Star center fielder as one of the franchise's core players.
The Chicago Blackhawks defeated the New York Islanders 4-3 on Tuesday night.
Chicago Bulls legend Scottie Pippen threw some shade at former teammate Michael Jordan in a new pop commercial.
The Bulls (29-42) led by as many as 22 points after scoring a season-high 41 points in the first quarter.
Tickets to a pair of Blackhawks games in Germany next season will go on sale on Friday.
A 17-year-old boy has been charged with sexually assaulting an even younger teenage girl in Chicago's Ravenswood Manor neighborhood last fall.
A woman was sexually assaulted at Northeastern Illinois University on Chicago's Northwest Side over the weekend, police said.
A 67-year-old man was killed Tuesday afternoon in a shooting on Chicago's Near West Side.
Burglars crashed into the renowned Golden Apple Grille and Breakfast House in Chicago's Lakeview neighborhood early Monday morning, while the 24-hour restaurant was open.
A man was detained until trial Monday on charges in the death of a Chicago firefighter who died fighting a blaze in the city's Rogers Park neighborhood.
