News Local/State
The Illinois House will vote Sunday on a revenue plan after all. House Speaker Michael Madigan issued a statement saying he was "encouraged by the progress we continue to make."
News Local/State
The FBI has made an arrest in the Yingying Zhang case, and the agency believes that the 26-year-old University of Illinois visiting scholar from China is dead. The FBI said in a news release that agents arrested 27-year-old Brendt Christensen of Champaign, a former University of Illinois graduate student, on Friday.
News Local/State
Work on two federally funded road construction projects in Champaign-Urbana will have to halt --- unless state lawmakers and the governor act quickly this weekend to pass a budget to authorize the state to spend the money on the projects in the new fiscal year.
News Local/State
A $36.5 billion plan to rebuild Illinois' crumbling finances passed a critical test on Friday, but a powerful legislative leader said no deal would be reached before a midnight deadline — meaning Illinois will enter its third consecutive fiscal year without a budget.
And it means entering dangerous territory: The state comptroller will be unable to cover basic services ordered by courts, road construction and Powerball ticket sales could halt, and the state's credit rating could be downgraded to "junk."
News Local/State
The head of a Champaign social service agency says that if there is still no state budget by next week, she will have no choice but to lay off staff and cut services. But the agency head says there's reason for optimism.
News Local/State
State Senator Bill Brady of Bloomington is the choice of Illinois Senate Republicans to succeed Christine Radogno as their leader.
News Local/State
Democrats in the Illinois House say they’ll try to pass a state budget Friday. They say their plan is balanced — with spending cuts and tax increases.
News Local/State
While the search for missing University of Illinois scholar Yingying Zhang closes its third week, University of Illinois officials say about 350 people marched through campus Thursday night and gathered for a concert by a group of Chinese students.
News Local/State
As Illinois’ top political leaders struggle to end a two year budget standoff, one of them has announced she’s resigning. Senate Republican Leader Christine Radogno is stepping down effective Saturday.
News Local/State
When President Trump withdrew from the Paris climate accord, University of Illinois alumnus David Rank decided to hand in his resignation. He was the senior U.S. diplomat in China and served in the U.S. Foreign Service for 27 years. He talks to NPR's Robert Siegel about the decision to leave.
