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News Local/State

Governor Bruce Rauner gave his third annual budget address to the General Assembly today.  Here are his full remarks, with explanatory notes from Illinois Public Radio reporters.

News Local/State

In his annual budget address to lawmakers, Gov. Bruce Rauner said Illinois lawmakers of both parties agree for the first time that the state needs regulatory change as well as reduced spending. "On this, we all now agree," he said. "And that is real progress.''

News Local/State

Russian intelligence officials made repeated contact with members of President Trump's campaign staff, according to new reports that cite anonymous U.S. officials. American agencies were concerned about the contacts but haven't seen proof of collusion between the campaign and the Russian security apparatus, the reports say.

News Local/State

Democrats have been saying Gov. Bruce Rauner has never proposed a balanced budget — shirking his constitutional and statutory duty. Rauner rejects that critique. Reporter Brian Mackey assesses their claims.

News Local/State

Champaign-Urbana’s emergency winter shelter for homeless men is on track to get an $18,000 grant from the city of Champaign. City Council members gave their preliminary approval for the funding at a study session Tuesday night.

News Local/State

Brian Stover raises chickens at his house in rural Marion County, Illinois, just across the road from the Patoka Tank Farm where the controversial Dakota Access Pipeline ends — about 75 miles east of St. Louis.

News Local/State

Yvonne Hardcastle was at her wit’s end. Her son, Alfredo Mejia, was 7 years old. He was angry all the time and had been diagnosed with behavior problems and ADHD, but that didn’t feel right. She didn’t know what was wrong, but her mother’s intuition kept pushing her to find help for her boy.

News Local/State

National security adviser Michael Flynn has resigned after reports he misled Trump administration officials about his contacts with Russia's ambassador to the U.S. Flynn's departure less than one month into the Trump administration marks an extraordinarily early shakeup in the president's senior team of advisers.

News Local/State

An Urbana City Council member running for mayor says she wants to strengthen ties between emergency personnel, saying it will make the community safer. Alderwoman Diane Marlin picked up the endorsement Monday of Urbana Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 70 and Urbana Firefighters Local 1147. “Anytime you have an organization - the more dialogue, communication, and collaboration you have among departments makes the city work better," she said.

News Local/State

Donald Trump’s presidency has Illinois lawmakers weighing an issue not usually given as much attention in the General Assembly: abortion. Since the 1970s, Illinois’ abortion laws have stayed mostly the same. Brigid Leahy, legislative director of Planned Parenthood of Illinois, says legal-abortion advocates are now moving to stem the tide they see coming from Washington.