Barbara Flynn Currie

Posted by Monique Garcia at 6:20 p.m. Illinois House Democrats voted today to give Speaker Michael Madigan another two years as their leader in Springfield. Madigan received the unanimous backing of his rank and file members, along with thunderous...

Posted by Rick Pearson at 12:01 a.m. Gov. Pat Quinn today is expected to sign legislation requiring statewide hearings involving the politically controversial redrawing of state legislative district boundaries, but the new law falls far short of...

Posted by Ray Long at 11:59 a.m.; last updated at 12:41 p.m. SPRINGFIELD — Gov. Pat Quinn today signed into law a historic ban on the death penalty in Illinois and commuted the sentences of 15 death row inmates to......

Area residents called on state lawmakers Monday to make new legislative districts more compact and to consider the growing Hispanic population. The Illinois House Redistricting …...

Today, more than any other time in our history, more than any other place in our country, the city of Chicago is ready for change. For all the parents who deserve a school system that expects every student to earn......

Posted by Tribune staff at 11:50 a.m. Here is new Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel's inaugural speech as prepared for delivery: Honored guests, Mr. Vice President, Dr. Biden, Mayor Daley, First Lady Maggie Daley, Members of the City Council and other......

Posted by Rick Pearson at 6:15 p.m. Democratic state lawmakers used a rare weekend hearing today to defend their plan to redraw the 118 Illinois House districts, with the proposal’s sponsor calling it “fair and competitive” to combat...

Posted by Ray Long, Rick Pearson, Monique Garcia and Todd Wilson at 6:21 p.m.; last updated at 6:36 p.m. SPRINGFIELD --- A major income-tax increase would be slightly scaled back under a plan state lawmakers were briefed on today as......

Posted by Ray Long at 9:45 p.m. SPRINGFIELD — A workers’ compensation proposal aimed at cutting down business expenses in one of the nation’s costliest programs of its kind cleared a hurdle today. The reform plan went to the full......

UPDATED AT 1:22 a.m. - Senate passes income tax increase, bill goes to governor. SPRINGFIELD — Democratic state lawmakers muscled through a major income tax increase early Wednesday that they said would rehabilitate the state’s deadbeat image, but...

Posted by Ray Long and Monique Garcia at 2:15 a.m. A triumphant Gov. Pat Quinn congratulated fellow Democrats early today after the Illinois Senate and House sent him a major income tax increase without a single Republican vote in favor.......

Posted by Ray Long at 12:01 p.m. Gov. Pat Quinn said today he will sign a major income tax increase as soon as it hits his desk and rejected criticism that he had misled taxpayers by saying during his campaign......