A school board has put the state's highest-paid school superintendent on leave just weeks before he planned to retire after public scrutiny of a planned $762,000 end-of-career payout. With about 1,200 students, Calumet School District 155 is a relatively small...

The 112th House District is a jagged rectangle that runs through the Metro East. It includes Collinsville, Edwardsville and parts of Granite City. It's less than 20 minutes, with traffic, from St. Louis. So how, and how much, the state...

It's another list of big names and big legacies over at IllinoisTop200.com this week. Three first ladies, Illinois' first African American U.S. Senator, one of the largest female conservative voices in the country, and of course Oprah are all on...

Add Illinois to the list of states battling a polio-like condition. The Illinois Department of Public Health on Wednesday said that nine people in the state have been diagnosed with acute flaccid myelitis, or AFM. It's a rare, polio-like condition...

Democratic gubernatorial candidate J.B. Pritzker held a 22-point lead over incumbent Gov. Bruce Rauner in the last week of September, according to a poll from the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute at Southern Illinois University. That's a staggering lead for...

Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner and his Democratic challenger, J.B. Pritzker, trotted out familiar lines of attack in the final debate before the election, but failed to break new ground on matters of policy. Rauner lost his footing several times amid...

Races up and down the state will determine who will be in the Illinois statehouse and could shape how the state addresses its massive pension debt. Illinois’ unfunded public pension liability is at least $130 billion. Add in other post...

Illinois’ corn farmers are cheering President Donald Trump's move to open up year-round use of ethanol blends of motor fuels. Trump made the announcement this week that gas stations will be able to sell E15 blends of gasoline all year...

The level of drama in Washington D.C. right now would typically be enough to wash state politics to the wayside during election season. But in Illinois that remains to be seen. Why? Voters still have Mike Madigan on the mind....

Illinois ranked dead last in terms of fiscal stability using the most recent data that marks the first year lawmakers and Gov. Bruce Rauner failed to agree on a budget. The author of the report notes that the state also...

Democratic candidate for governor J.B. Pritzker has repeatedly dodged questions about the basic details of his progressive income tax proposal, but he's not alone in his refusal to talk specifics. When asked the progressive income tax plan, Republicans are quick...

There's a little less than a month till Election Day, but there's still plenty of time to register to vote. In Illinois, voters can register to vote up to and on Election Day. Matt Dietrich with the Illinois State Board...

The issue of who knew what and when about whether an old hat purchased by the private Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum Foundation has bled into an Illinois congressional race. The ALPLM foundation owes $9.7 million of a $25...

President Donald Trump has instructed members of the Attorney General’s office to go to Chicago to stem what he calls “a terrible shooting wave.” Trump told the International Association of Chiefs of Police Annual Convention in Orlando, Florida, that he...

A new report highlights waste and pork in Illinois’ budget and its author says it just highlights the slap in the face to Illinois taxpayers. Illinois Policy Institute's Director of Budget and Tax Research Adam Schuster said the think tank's...

Based on a federal regulation from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Illinois residents will have to obtain a REAL ID card in order to travel in 2020. The REAL ID card will also be needed to visit military air...

Illinois came out ahead of every other state in a new state-by-state report of mental health and addiction parity laws. Typically, when Illinois is compared to other states for financial health, it’s among the worst. When compared to other states...

One political professor says don't read too much into the high price tag of Illinois' race for governor. Candidates vying to be the state's next governor could end up spending $300 million by Nov. 6. But don't look too much...

As the November election looms, interest groups and newspaper endorsements are rolling in, but not all of them are pleased with the choices on the ballot. In the race for Illinois governor, there have been some surprise endorsement choices, including...

A new survey of Illinois manufacturers shows overwhelming opposition to a possible gas tax hike. Eighty percent of respondents to a survey from the Technology and Manufacturing Association rejected the idea, even if the revenue were earmarked for infrastructure improvement....

The vast majority of candidates for Illinois governor and U.S. congress don’t have the political courage to answer policy questions, according to a nonpartisan voter education organization. The organization Vote Smart compiles issue positions of candidates running for governor and...

Illinois' senior U.S. Senator says he's wondering what the future will bring with now-Justice Brett Kavanaugh on the Supreme Court. Illinois Democrat Dick Durbin voted against Brett Kavanaugh's nomination for the high court. But on Saturday, once it was clear...

The nation’s largest online professional network tracks where in the country workers are moving to and from. Illinois’ largest cities are seeing movement to Chicago, then out of Illinois. <a href="https://economicgraph.linkedin.com/resources/linkedin-workforce-report-october-2018">LinkedIn’s monthly employment report</a> tracks skill and location changes of...

Illinois farmers are experiencing a tough sales year despite an early and strong harvest season. Because overseas markets like China are not buying crops based on the trade tariffs that have been put in place by the U.S., market prices...

Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner has vetoed a Senate bill that would have allowed the study of supplemental deer feeding to see if it benefits the animals. Feeding deer is illegal in Illinois, but advocates say the extra nutrition would improve...

Illinois corn farmers are reacting positively to news of a renegotiated NAFTA pact. The new North American Free Trade Agreement between the U.S. and its neighbors Canada and Mexico should be finalized next month. Illinois Corn Grower Association President and...

Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner continues to walk the line on marijuana in the state. The same week that the Illinois Department of Public Health said 44,000 people in the state have asked for a medical marijuana card, Rauner once again...

In the home stretch of an election, last-minute investigations and leaked documents highlighting possible fraud may sound like trademarks of Washington, D.C.-level politics, but a political analyst said Illinois is solidifying such antics while avoiding talking about major issues. Just...

The Illinois Farm Bureau said it is confident a farm bill will be passed after the November midterm elections. If not, it could be a "nightmare scenario." Illinois’ sole congressman on the conference committee working to compromise on a new...

Illinois Republicans are not going to let Democrat J.B. Pritzker’s troubles concerning a potentially illegal property tax break go away. Republicans have filed bills that would stiffen fines and even disqualify someone from running for political office for illegally cheating...

A taxpayer-funded nursing home in one of the nation’s highest-taxing counties has amassed tens of millions of dollars in reserves and local officials are now looking to send part of that back to taxpayers. The Valley Hi Nursing Home in...

They weren’t included in Wednesday’s televised gubernatorial debate, but they are on the ballot and have ideas on how to fix the state’s problems. Libertarian Kash Jackson said ABC 7 Chicago's decision not to include him or Conservative Party candidate...

The state owes 24,000 state employees millions of dollars in backpay for failing to pay raises, but Gov. Bruce Rauner's administration is pushing to the limit how much it will have to pay amid a contract dispute with the state's...

In an effort to reduce interest payments, Gov. Bruce Rauner signed SB 2858 into law, allowing Illinois to invest funding from other sectors to generate interest monies. The new law could save the state up to $100 million a year...

“We followed the rules.” That's what Democratic candidate for governor J.B. Pritzker said before he decided to repay $330,000 in property tax breaks he received that an inspector general's report described as a "scheme to defraud" taxing authorities. Pritzker has...

A member of the Illinois Legislative Audit Commission is looking to get the state’s Auditor General to review the operations of the private foundation that supports the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in Springfield. State lawmakers also are considering...

If the election were held last week, J.B. Pritzker would be elected governor – easily. A new poll from the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute at Southern Illinois University says the governor is behind by 22 points. John Jackson with...

To the surprise of no one, Illinois' Top 200 voters have picked Michael Jordan as the state's top athlete of the bicentennial. Apparently, even in 2018, a lot of people want to be like Mike. Illinois' bicentennial best of voters...

Real estate experts say J.B. Pritzker, Democrat candidate for Illinois governor, may have some serious legal problems stemming from a leaked report outlining how he allegedly manipulated Cook County’s tax system to lower his property tax bill. The <a href="https://www.ilnews.org/news/state_politics/report-pritzker-schemed-to-defraud-taxman-in-tax-saving-toilet/article_a6cdf9ee-c5de-11e8-a28b-57fc4419ff6d.html">leaked...

Illinois is among the easiest states in the country in which to cast a ballot, according to a new study. The report, titled “Cost of Voting In American States,” created a “Cost of Voting Index” after examining 33 different factors,...