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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.
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.
Razani left Iran in 2016 and has lived in Chicago for almost five years. In that time, his work has been political and often critical of the Islamic Republic regime.
They gathered around Michigan Avenue, with signs and voices to show they will not stay silent in time of war.
Disable Army veteran Jose Fernandez said it was only after he threatened to file a disability claim that they finally let him behind the counter to an employee restroom, but it was too late.
Information about the pedestrian and what led to the crash was not released.
The Chief Naturalist explains why the center does not know which swan died.
The DNC is announcing Monday that the 2028 national convention will be held from Aug. 7 to Aug. 10, CBS News has learned.
The Supreme Court ruled last month at President Trump did not have the authority to issue his sweeping tariffs under a federal emergency powers law.
Illinois lawmakers and advocates Monday announced their intentions to form a bipartisan commission to investigate crimes in the Epstein files that happened in the state.
President Trump said he expects the bombing campaign to last four to five weeks, but "we have [the] capability to go far longer than that."
The Pentagon announced Monday that six American service members have been killed in Operation Epic Fury.
Drivers in the Chicago area can expect to start paying more at the pump this week, as oil prices have spiked amid the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran.
Palatine, Illinois-based Weber has issued a recall of more than 3.2 million metal wire bristle grill brushes because you could ingest the bristles.
This is after Mayor Brandon Johnson vetoed an ordinance that would have banned most hemp-derived products this weekend.
This week marks Identity Theft Awareness Week, and Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza emphasized some safety tips Monday for avoiding and dealing with identity theft.
A controversial data center in Naperville, Illinois, could be the cause to pack a city council meeting there on Tuesday night.
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.
Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital announced this week that it is planning to open a new pediatric hospital in the west Chicago suburb of Downers Grove.
It has been nearly six years since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, and one of the many questions doctors are still working to answer concerns the long-term effects.
Leaders from Cook County, the Illinois Department of Human Services, and the Greater Chicago Food Depository denounced changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program on Wednesday.
The University of Chicago Medicine Comprehensive Cancer Center has received a grant from The Ralph Lauren Corporate Foundation for a new cancer center.
Not one, but two hotels are now planned or proposed for Chicago's Northalsted LGBTQ+ nightlife district.
After the Double Door closed in Wicker Park, there was reassurance that the Double Door would return, at a new location in the city's Uptown neighborhood. Now that is not happening anymore.
Barnes & Noble was set to reopen in Skokie on Wednesday, just weeks after it closed.
Trader Joe's is opening a new location in Chicago's Logan Square neighborhood.
The district laid out a $630 million plan to remake Soldier Field into a major concert venue and events space.
Singer-songwriter Neil Sedaka, known for his hits like "Laughter in the Rain," "Breaking Up is Hard to Do" and "Calendar Girl," has died.
A 19th-century George Méliès film, thought to be long lost, has been found among a box of brittle movie reels that a Michigan donor brought to the Library of Congress, officials said.
Streaming giant Netflix declined to match Paramount Skydance's $31 per share offer for Warner Bros. Discovery.
After the Double Door closed in Wicker Park, there was reassurance that the Double Door would return, at a new location in the city's Uptown neighborhood. Now that is not happening anymore.
The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame has announced its 2026 list of nominees, including Phil Collins, Mariah Carey, Wu-Tang Clan and more.
Former President Bill Clinton was asked about the photo in the files, where he appeared to be in a hot tub. Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told the committee she did not recall meeting Jeffrey Epstein.
Experts from northwestern medicine said the time change can impact people’s overall health.
Students at Kilmer Elementary School in Buffalo Grove, Illinois, recently wrapped up a week-long cereal drive, collecting 335 boxes of cereal to benefit local food pantries.
Passengers and crew members aboard a united airlines flight leaving Los Angeles are safe after making an emergency return to LAX.
Temperatures stay above average into early next week before cooler air potentially returns mid-March.
Disable Army veteran Jose Fernandez said it was only after he threatened to file a disability claim that they finally let him behind the counter to an employee restroom, but it was too late.
Razani left Iran in 2016 and has lived in Chicago for almost five years. In that time, his work has been political and often critical of the Islamic Republic regime.
They gathered around Michigan Avenue, with signs and voices to show they will not stay silent in time of war.
Information about the pedestrian and what led to the crash was not released.
The U.S. and Israel launched strikes against Iran over the weekend, killing the country's supreme leader.
If you feel like you're drowning in a sea of text alerts and desperate email pleas for "just $5" this election season, you are far from alone.
A north suburban school bus driver became a victim of sophisticated scammers who are targeting more people and more vulnerable populations to make more money.
Both couples are still actively fighting for their kids, knowing it will be a long and complicated road.
The mother of an 8-year-old boy who was allegedly put in a chokehold and dragged by the neck by a Chicago Public Schools employee hopes her lawsuit and choice to speak out will help protect students in the future.
A jury on Wednesday awarded $5.74 million in damages to a Chicago family who accused police of violating their civil rights in a botched raid of their home in 2018.
After four consecutive runner-up finishes and a school-record 16-game winning streak this season, the Triton College women's basketball team is out to claim a junior college regional title.
The Tritons have already gone on a record-breaking win streak this season.
The Chicago Blackhawks beat the Utah Mammoth 4-0 on Sunday to end a three-game losing streak.
Collin Sexton added 22 points, and Matas Buzelis had 20, helping Chicago come out on top after matching the third-worst skid in franchise history.
The win extended Chicago's unbeaten streak against Canadian opponents to six matches dating to 2024.
A man was shot and killed while sitting in a vehicle in the South Austin neighborhood on Chicago's West Side early Monday.
A suspect was in custody after firing shots at Chicago police officers before crashing an SUV into two parked cars Monday morning in the Auburn Gresham neighborhood.
A man was in police custody on allegations that he stabbed his mother on Chicago's West Side Sunday night.
One person is dead, and three others were hurt — including a 15-year-old boy — after three drive-by shootings across the city of Chicago within a three-hour window Sunday night.
The man who opened fire in the deadly shooting also had photos of Iranian leaders in his home, a source said.
