Lawmakers Return To Springfield; 8 Days Before Budget Due
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.
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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.
Even though Democrats control the House and Senate, and approved a budget plan that is more than $3 billion in the red, state Sen. Emil Jones III (D-Chicago) wasn't prepared to say his party shares in the blame for the budget cuts.
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.
The Illinois House has approved a plan to make the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum its own agency but scuttled the governor's proposed privatization of business development in the state.
On Wednesday, an Illinois Senate committee voted down the governor's proposed changes to workers' compensation laws, and on Thursday the Judiciary Committee debated Rauner's plan to overhaul the state's civil court system – specifically, lawsuits seeking financial damages.
Chicago would get a city-owned casino and be allowed to keep all revenue for seven years to help make ballooning pension payments, and new casinos would be added throughout the state under legislation expected to be introduced Thursday in the Illinois Senate.
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.
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.
Hoping to lift any possible legal hurdles to building either Barack Obama's presidential library or filmmaker George Lucas' proposed museum on park property, Illinois lawmakers swiftly approved legislation to make sure the Emanuel administration has the authority critics claim it lacks.
In an early major test of Illinois' newly divided government, the Senate passed a compromise plan Thursday to plug a $1.6 billion hole in this year's budget and avert shutdowns of state programs and services.
Legislation proposed by Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigan and backed by Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner passed the House early Tuesday afternoon with bipartisan support, including 46 of the chamber's 47 Republicans.
Illinois residents could possess or grow a small amount of marijuana without fear of criminal charges, if a bill in the state Senate becomes law.
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.
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.
The Illinois Senate has passed legislation that would raise the state's 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.
State lawmakers who have predicted huge property tax hikes for suburban homeowners under a measure to overhaul funding for public schools have invited the public to provide input on the plan Tuesday night in Arlington Heights.
Republican state Sen. Kirk Dillard, who made two attempts at Illinois governor, officially resigned from the Legislature after more than two decades in office to become chairman of the Chicago-area's Regional Transportation Authority, Senate Republican officials announced Monday.
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.
Illinois lawmakers have quickly advanced a plan to overhaul Cook County's pension system by increasing county payments and reducing some benefits for employees.
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 said Friday that lawmakers will try again to draft a 2015 budget after the House overwhelmingly rejected a $34.5 billion budget that would have made deep cuts to schools and social services next year in a vote one Republican critic called "all theater."
Two people were hospitalized after a fire ripped through a house in Chicago's Belmont Cragin neighborhood early Wednesday.
Opening statements begin Wednesday in the murder-for-hire trial involving U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commander Gregory Bovino.
The New York Mets acquired Luis Robert Jr. in a trade with the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday, filling a hole in center field.
$10 million settlement in case of Anthony Stringfellow, Jr. who took his own life while at Madden Mental Health Center
Residents at Tuesday's city council meeting said they aren't mad at the idea of the center, but are concerned about potential utility increases and health risks.
Chicago's Lurie Children's Hospital said Tuesday that it is no longer initiating gender-affirming medical treatment for minors.
Three people were arrested this week after police said they destroyed campaign posters for a candidate for Cook County commissioner in Chicago's Fuller Park neighborhood.
Hawaii enacted a rule that bars people from bringing guns onto private property that is open to the public, like shops or gas stations, unless the owner gives express authorization.
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.
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.
Chicago's Lurie Children's Hospital said Tuesday that it is no longer initiating gender-affirming medical treatment for minors.
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.
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.
Opening statements begin Wednesday in the murder-for-hire trial involving U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commander Gregory Bovino.
The Chicago Fire Department responded to a fire that broke out at a Northwest Side apartment building overnight.
Meteorologist Laura Bannon is tracking extreme cold.
She recently appeared as herself in the Netflix movie "A House of Dynamite" and modeled in Victoria’s Secret fashion show.
The Journal of Hazardous Materials found that bottled water exclusive drinkers ended up ingesting up to 90,000 microplastic particles each year.
$10 million settlement in case of Anthony Stringfellow, Jr. who took his own life while at Madden Mental Health Center
Aaron and Andre Richmond are both charged with sexually assaulting teenage girls they taught at Thornton Fractional High School District 215.
Residents at Tuesday's city council meeting said they aren't mad at the idea of the center, but are concerned about potential utility increases and health risks.
Plumbers say that in the midst of this cold snap, pro services see 10% more calls than average.
The first-place winner gets a Wiener's Circle gift card, merchandise, and bragging rights.
$10 million settlement in case of Anthony Stringfellow, Jr. who took his own life while at Madden Mental Health Center
Aaron and Andre Richmond are both charged with sexually assaulting teenage girls they taught at Thornton Fractional High School District 215.
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.
The New York Mets acquired Luis Robert Jr. in a trade with the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday, filling a hole in center field.
Matas Buzelis added 21 points, Ayo Dosunmu scored 18, and Kevin Huerter added 14. All three players made four 3s.
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.
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.
