Rod Blagojevich News

The State Police pointed to initiatives targeting illegal guns and drugs as key factors in the successful effort to curb crime in Illinois.

Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan announced Wednesday that she's running for re-election instead of seeking higher office, a surprise decision that leaves potential candidates for governor and Senate figuring out where they stand in the new political landscape.

Wednesday, Jul 8, 2009 * State Sen. Kirk Dillard is on a scheduled fly-around today to announce his bid for the GOP gubernatorial nomination.

A defense attorney for former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich's last chief of staff says his client will likely plead guilty to corruption charges.Former Blagojevich chief-of-staff John Harris has pleaded not guilty to charges he plotted to squeeze people who have business with the state for campaign money or payoffs.

State Sen. Kirk Dillard is officially throwing his hat into the ring. Dillard scheduled a news conference in Hinsdale on Wednesday to announce his candidacy for the Illinois governor's office.

" The Illinois State Police today announced the Illinois crime rate fell 2.1 percent in 2006, with reports of criminal sexual assault and motor vehicle theft realizing the biggest decreases.

Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich today signed Senate Bill 1088 expanding the ability of local police agencies to use money generated by fines stemming from convictions for driving under the influence.

Gov. Pat Quinn followed through on his promise and vetoed Senate Bill 1197 - the so-called Doomsday budget - Wednesday, allowing the state to start the new fiscal year without a budget.

In 2001, Patrick Fitzgerald was named U.S. attorney of the Northern District of Illinois.

Thanks to vacancies created by last falla TMs election, then-president-elect Barack Obama faced the first dramas of his administration: Finding credible, re-electable bodies to fill those seats.

Named the most dysfunctional state legislators in the nation, New York lawmakers seem determined to live up to the title.

Illinois got a new governor six months ago, but sometimes it seems little else has changed in state government.

The National Society of Newspaper Columnists chose Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as the winner of its annual Sitting Duck Award, a tongue-in-cheek honor that pokes fun at the most ridiculed newsmakers in the United States.

Though he's spent the last several months talking about a potential run for Illinois governor, DuPage County State's Attorney Joe Birkett announced online Thursday that he will remain a prosecutor -- and run for Illinois attorney general in 2010.

While Southern Illinois University has complied with a federal subpoena from prosecutors investigating ousted Gov.

Roland Burris came under fresh scrutiny on Tuesday after disclosing he tried to raise money for the disgraced former Illinois governor who named him to the U.S. Senate seat once held by U.S. President Barack Obama.

SPRINGFIELD – State Rep. Jack Franks wants the governor to veto legislation outlining part of how construction in the state would be funded.

On his way out of office, former Gov. Rod Blagojevich called a news conference in which he shared the stage with needy citizens and talked about the help he was able to give such people.

The state's budget year ends Tuesday, and lawmakers are nowhere near a deal on a spending plan with Gov.

Former Illinois first lady Patti Blagojevich said that making new friends during her time on NBC's reality show "I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!" helped her get over those she's lost since her husband's arrest on federal corruption charges.