Durkin Supports Tougher Gun Penalties, But Warns Of Cost
The new leader of Illinois House Republicans said Mayor Rahm Emanuel's push for tougher penalties for gun crimes could be a good thing, but also expensive.
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The new leader of Illinois House Republicans said Mayor Rahm Emanuel's push for tougher penalties for gun crimes could be a good thing, but also expensive.
His predecessor, state Rep. Tom Cross of Oswego, stepped down to run for state treasurer. Cross held the position for a decade.
Powerful Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan said Thursday he asked senior staff at Metra to consider a pay raise for an associate who was employed at the commuter rail agency, but withdrew the recommendation after Metra's then-CEO expressed discomfort over it.
Illinois lawmakers have voted to reject a set of changes Gov. Pat Quinn made to legislation allowing the carrying of concealed firearms in Illinois.
All 11 Metra Board members — as well as former Metra CEO Alex Clifford — are being asked to appear July 11 before a legislative committee delving into a hefty severance package that could reap Clifford nearly $750,000 over more than two years, lawmakers said Wednesday.
As the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the federal Defense of Marriage Act and opened the door for California to resume same-sex marriages, Ald. Tom Tunney (44th) called on the state legislature to "get its act together" and approve gay marriage in Illinois.
Gov. Pat Quinn and lawmakers are working on a new plan to solve the state's $97 billion pension crisis that involves forming a bipartisan committee and reconvening the Legislature again in July.
The House Republicans' plan would create a new tax credit for families who earn less than $150,000 a year and send their kids to accredited Illinois schools, as well as a new tax deduction for using college savings programs.
Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan might not be in touch with Gov. Pat Quinn, but there might be some behind-the-scenes work ahead to resolve the state's pension reform impasse before a special session of the General Assembly on June 19.
A study by the We Are One Illinois coalition shows that if half of employees and retirees choose to forgo post-career health insurance as part of Senate President John Cullerton's proposal, the state's debt to two health insurance programs would be cut in half, by $26 billion.
The Democrat-controlled Legislature began piecing together a new state budget Tuesday that avoids the steep cuts of recent years and also gave final approval to a historic expansion of Medicaid, as Republicans accused their colleagues across the aisle of having "an insatiable appetite to spend money we don't have."
Majority Democrats on the committee drove the 10-6 vote in favor of the bill by Sen. Kwame Raoul Raoul said he doesn't know how many votes he has on the floor or when he'll call it.
The proposal says drivers must use hands-free devices or speakerphone features.
A concealed-carry gun deal brokered by House Speaker Michael Madigan cleared a House committee Thursday, but its prospects were unclear across the Capitol in the Senate because of the way it would curb existing local gun laws.
The Illinois Senate has passed a measure that would require parents to send their kids to school before their 7th birthday, in a vote that broke down along party lines.
A proposal that aims to create thousands of jobs in southern Illinois by kick-starting high-volume oil and gas drilling cleared a top committee Tuesday, sending it on to the House floor.
About 200 ministers and others gathered in the south suburbs on Tuesday, day calling on the Illinois House to say "no" to legislation to legalize same-sex marriages.
The state's top transportation official would like to slow momentum for a move to increase the top speed limit in Illinois.
The Illinois Senate voted Thursday to send a union-supported pension reform bill to the House, leaving lawmakers with two competing proposals for dealing with the nation's worst state pension crisis just weeks before the Legislature is scheduled to adjourn.
The Illinois House has approved a comprehensive pension-reform plan for the first time after years of talks.
Labor leaders threatened a lawsuit Wednesday over House Speaker Michael Madigan's pension-reform proposal to lower the retirement benefits of public employees in Illinois, but a committee advanced the plan anyway.
The difficulty over how lawmakers will craft a law allowing public possession of guns in Illinois has been clearly demonstrated on the House floor.
The Illinois House Wednesday approved a measure to allow physicians to prescribe marijuana to patients with specific terminal illnesses or debilitating medical conditions.
Illinois lawmakers could vote on legislation to legalize medical marijuana this week, and a group of 250 doctors has urged them to support the measure.
The sponsor of legislation that would allow medical marijuana use in Illinois said Tuesday he'll push for a vote on the measure when lawmakers return to Springfield early next month.
A family of five from Spain, including three children, and the pilot died in the April 2025 crash.
Police are warning residents after a child luring incident was reported in Jefferson Park last week.
One climatologist said "a perfect storm" of climate extremes primed the western U.S. for one of its worst fire seasons in a decade. Meanwhile, Canadian wildfire smoke fills the air.
A 10-year-old girl was killed by gunfire in Gary, Indiana, Wednesday afternoon, police said.
The Illinois Senate passed a bill championed by Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias that would let regulators challenge extreme auto insurance rate hikes.
Mayor Brandon Johnson has yet to announce if he'll seek re-election next year, but a new poll reveals he faces a tough road ahead if he does run for another term.
Chicago Public Schools officials on Wednesday announced plans to lay off hundreds of teachers and other staff and impose five furlough days to help close a $732 million deficit for next school year.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche testified Wednesday before the Senate Judiciary Committee for his confirmation hearing to lead the Justice Department in a permanent capacity.
The Wisconsin Elections Commission found billionaire Elon Musk may have violated the state's election bribery law by offering $1 million checks to voters during an election last year.
The measure also allows states to opt out if they take action before the federal law is enacted.
Chicago remained the most bed bug-treated city in the country, according to Orkin's latest annual rankings covering a full year of residential and commercial treatment data.
Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul this week warned residents cleaning up from last month's storms to be on the lookout for scams.
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker on Thursday signed several new consumer protections into law, including a ban on junk fees.
CBS News Chicago has learned that Illinois home insurance premiums are not only higher than the nation's average, but going up faster too.
As an alternative to legalizing video gambling terminals citywide, Bally's offered to open slot machine lounges at O'Hare and Midway, saying the move would replace the $6.8 million the city budgeted from VGTs.
Chicago just barely made the top 20 in the American College of Sports Medicine's 2026 ranking of the country's fittest cities.
In a major turnaround in the opioid crisis, overdose deaths are falling across Chicago and Cook County.
The north Chicago suburb of Glenview became the latest Illinois municipality this week to confirm mosquitoes testing positive for the West Nile virus this year.
Environmental and community groups are suing the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for failing to act on a petition challenging U.S. Steel Gary Works operating permit renewal.
In the four years since Roe v. Wade was overturned and Illinois became a destination for abortion care, Illinois providers and advocates have rebuilt the state's infrastructure to support the tens of thousands of people who travel to the state for abortion services every year.
Illinois American Water and Aqua Illinois are both seeking rate increases that would raise monthly bills by as much as $28, while their parent companies seek regulatory approval to merge — a deal a consumer watchdog says would give one company control of nearly all regulated water customers in the state.
The Federal Trade Commission and attorneys general from several states secured a right-to-repair settlement Wednesday with agriculture equipment giant Deere & Co. — commonly known as John Deere — that requires the company to let farmers and independent shops fix their own equipment.
Chicago Soul Café opened Monday at 6248 S. St. Lawrence Ave.
The Chicago Bears this weekend said they are assessing land at Wolf Lake Terminals in Hammond, Indiana, for a possible new stadium.
As an alternative to legalizing video gambling terminals citywide, Bally's offered to open slot machine lounges at O'Hare and Midway, saying the move would replace the $6.8 million the city budgeted from VGTs.
The actor's agent said he was providing more information following news reports "which contain inaccuracies and outright falsehoods."
New Zealand actor Sam Neill, known for "Jurassic Park" and "The Piano," died Monday at 78, his family says.
The 46th Taste of Chicago is cashless for the first time, accepting only credit cards, with a drone and fireworks show scheduled for approximately 9:15 p.m. Friday near Buckingham Fountain.
The Chicago Symphony Orchestra's summer home in Highland Park reopened after a $70 million gut renovation that redesigned the stage to reduce sound levels harmful to musicians.
Bonnie Tyler, the Welsh pop star best known for singing the chart-topping power ballad "Total Eclipse of the Heart" in 1983, has died. She was 75.
Smoke persists through Thursday night, and air remains muggy, with lows in the mid-70s.
The Illinois Senate passed a bill championed by Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias that would let regulators challenge extreme auto insurance rate hikes.
Second City Canine Rescue is looking for a forever home for Benson.
This weekend and next, track work on the Loop 'L' system is forcing reroutes on some Chicago Transit Authority train lines.
The Navy's elite Blue Angels are investigating an extremely low flyover during an event in Pensacola, Florida. It sent sand and beach tents flying.
Chicago officials closed all beaches and outdoor pools and canceled outdoor events as the air quality became hazardous midday.
A family of five from Spain, including three children, and the pilot died in the April 2025 crash.
Police are warning residents after a child luring incident was reported in Jefferson Park last week.
One climatologist said "a perfect storm" of climate extremes primed the western U.S. for one of its worst fire seasons in a decade. Meanwhile, Canadian wildfire smoke fills the air.
Health professionals at Rush Medical Center say Thursday's air quality is expected to be unhealthy for everyone, as the particles from the wildfires will be high and dense.
A pair of jewelry importers have been charged in federal court in Chicago with smuggling millions of dollars in gold jewelry into the U.S. to avoid taxes, schemes uncovered by a federal task force that has surpassed $1 billion in recoveries and penalties over the past year.
Chicago is bracing for another heat wave, less than two weeks after the last one. This time, the heat comes with air quality concerns.
The university released what it's called a strategy statement about the impact it's already seeing artificial intelligence make on higher education and the legal profession.
New Cook County State's Attorney Eileen O'Neill Burke is fighting innocence claims more often than her predecessor, Kim Foxx, and hiring outside counsel to help.
On Tuesday evening, CBS News Chicago reported on wild weeds taking over a property in the South Side's Washington Heights neighborhood, and neighbors who said they spent months trying to get help.
Azura Stevens scored 18 of her 20 points in the first half, Sydney Taylor added 17 points, and the Chicago Sky beat the Seattle Storm 95-90 on Wednesday.
Dylan Cease struck out the side in the first inning, combining with 10 relievers on a three-hitter in a show of pitching dominance that led the American League to a 4-0 win over the National League in the All-Star Game.
The Cliburns are one of 10 sets of twins in MLB history to reach the major leagues.
Paige Bueckers had 22 points and 11 assists, Jessica Shepard added 19 points and 10 rebounds, and the Dallas Wings beat the Chicago Sky 96-91.
Chicago (50-45) swept the three-game series by outscoring the A's 24-2 after getting swept in three games against Boston.
A judge could decide Wednesday if a man accused of shooting and killing Chicago police Officer John Bartholomew and critically wounding his partner is fit to represent himself at trial.
A woman was arrested in Round Lake Beach, Illinois, Tuesday and charged with the death of her newborn child nearly 25 years ago.
Burglars smashed into a gas station minimart in the south Chicago suburb of Calumet City, Illinois, early Monday.
Armed robbers held up a restaurant in Chicago's Roseland community early Monday morning, police said.
Burglars tried unsuccessfully to take an ATM from a store in Chicago's West Town community early Monday, police said.
