WILL-AM

News Local/State

Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan is seeking to stop state worker pay until legislators and Gov. Bruce Rauner approve a spending plan.

A motion by Madigan filed Thursday in St. Clair County Circuit Court seeks to dissolve a preliminary injunction which allowed state workers to be paid during the budget impasse. 

News Local/State

The Illinois Senate left Springfield Thursday without voting on a bipartisan effort to end Illinois' budget stalemate. But hope springs eternal. The so-called grand bargain - devised earlier this month by the Senate's top leadership - was like a chili recipe where the cooks keep swapping ingredients. The latest version would increase the income tax by one-and-a-quarter percentage points, and further decrease government pensions.

News Local/State

Gov. Bruce Rauner struck an upbeat tone in his third State of the State address Wednesday in Springfield.

He also tried to project an image of someone willing to compromise — but in such a way that Democrats say he glossed over his own role in the crisis that’s hobbling Illinois government.

News Local/State

Michael Finke scored a game-high 17 points to help the Illini men break a three-game losing skid, winning 76-64 over the Iowa Hawkeyes last night in Champaign. Both teams are now in a five-way tie for 9th place in the Big Ten, with a conference record of 3-5. Illinois improves to 13-8 overall. Iowa drops to 11-10 on the year.

News Local/State

New legislation from State Representative Carol Ammons takes on Illinois’ temporary staffing agencies over poor working conditions and wages. The Urbana Democrat says many temp workers are subject to low wages, unsafe working conditions, and sometimes, racial and gender discrimination. She's the lead sponsor of the Responsible Job Creation Act, which will offer protections to these workers and increase transparency in hiring practices. 

News Local/State

Gov. Bruce Rauner says he is "deeply optimistic'' about the future of Illinois despite the state's problems, and praised State Senate efforts to reach agreement on a new state budget. Rauner addressed a joint session of the General Assembly on Wednesday with his third State of the State address. 

News Local/State

The president of the University of Illinois last month rejected calls to make the U of I a so-called sanctuary campus. But President Timothy Killeen is pledging to continue protections for undocumented students on the university’s three campuses.

News Local/State

Gov. Bruce Rauner will strike an optimistic tone in his State of the State address, while acknowledging Illinois faces ``significant challenges.''

The Republican's Wednesday speech comes as he gears up for a 2018 re-election bid. 

WILL AM 580 and WILL-TV will carry live coverage of the governor’s speech, beginning at 12 PM Central Time. WILL AM 580 streams at www.will.illinois.edu.

News Local/State

There's an active debate inside newsrooms, and particularly within the NPR newsroom, about how to characterize the statements of President Trump when they are at odds with evidence to the contrary.

News Local/State

President Donald Trump is vowing to "send in the Feds'' if Chicago can't reduce its homicide figures. In a tweet Tuesday night, Trump says the city is experiencing "horrible carnage,'' with surge in shootings since New Year's Day. Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel acknowledged his own frustration with Chicago's crime rate Monday, but also criticized Trump for worrying about the size of the crowd at his inauguration.