Illinois Government News

Unable to round up enough Senate votes for a sweeping measure to overhaul the state's public employee pension system, Gov. Pat Quinn has backed off in favor of a plan to a form a committee designed to forge a compromise on the hot-button issue.

Yesterday, we looked at Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan's latest maneuvers intended to minimize Illinoisans' Constitutionally guaranteed, fundamental human right of the individual to keep and bear arms.

Hidden tools, secret messages on postage stamps, and Houdini-like manuevers; not the makings of a Da Vinci Code sequel, but elements of what seemed like an impossible escape from the jail.

It looks like the world is going to have to wait a bit longer for Rod Blagojevich's version of why he deserves a new trial.

The six-step plan was developed by officials from the University of Illinois and Northern Illinois University .

Sen. Claire McCaskill says she's supporting an independent political action committee that's urging Hillary Clinton to run for president in 2016.

The Illinois Legislature's special session will cost about $40,000 a day, which includes a $111 daily payment to lawmakers to defray the cost of food and lodging while they work in the state capitol.

A cutting-edge biological terror alert system detected a potential threat in the air one morning back in 2008, threatening to derail then-Senator Barack Obama's acceptance speech in Denver for his party's presidential nomination at the Democratic National Convention.

Illinois residents affected by the floods can now get help buying food. Governor Pat Quinn announced Monday the Illinois Department of Human Services will offer immediate assistance to 33 counties, including here in the Quad Cities.

Gun owners rally at the Capitol in Springfield, Ill., in favor of concealed carry during Illinois Gun Owners Lobby Day on March 6, 2013.

Chicago's next U.S. attorney faces a dilemma sprung from the twin evils bedeviling America's third-largest city.

Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan has asked the United States Supreme Court for another extension, calling this one a "second and final thirty-day extension" on the conceal and carry issue.

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Under the proposed legislation, drivers would be required to slow down to 20 mph any time a child is present in a school zone, not only when school is in session.

There were 131 motorcycle fatalities in 2010, a figure that rose to 148 in 2012, the State Journal-Register reported.

If ever there was a region where incumbent Republican governors can experience the great GOP gubernatorial apocalypse, it is the upper Midwest.

Bill Daley's family has been a constant presence in Chicago and the state of Illinois for decades, with both his father and brother serving as mayor of Chicago at some point in time.

As lawmakers strain again this week to find a fix for the state's $97 billion pension crisis, the stalemate between House Speaker Michael Madigan and Senate President John Cullerton highlights the evolving relationship between two powerful Democratic friends who've seldom had such a prolonged disagreement on such an urgent issue.

Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan speaks at a news conference Friday, June 14, 2013, in Chicago.

Given the General Assembly's recent track record, there's little reason to think much will happen during Wednesday's special session on pension reform.