WILL-AM

News Local/State

Rauner said politicians need to tone down their rhetoric a day after he vetoed state aid to Chicago Public Schools.  He spoke to reporters in Chicago on Friday.

News Local/State

Half-a-dozen Democratic state representatives have sued the Illinois comptroller for holding up their paychecks during the state budget mess. On her last day in office, Republican Comptroller Leslie Munger called the legislators "cowards." Democrat Susanna Mendoza takes over Monday and has pledged to continue withholding paychecks.

News Local/State

State Rep. Carol Ammons (D-Urbana) hopes to see another attempt at passing Illinois' automatic voter registration measure when House lawmakers return to Springfield early next month. Her chamber fell four votes shy of overriding Gov. Bruce Rauner's veto of that measure this week.

News Local/State

New projections show nibbling around the edges of the state’s budget problems will get Illinois nowhere. That's according to the University of Illinois Institute of Government and Public Affairs.

News Local/State

The Illinois General Assembly is allowing electric utilities to collect more money from customers. The measure approved by the Illinois House and Senate on Thursday is part of a deal in which Exelon Corporation has agreed not to close nuclear plants in Clinton and the Quad Cities for at least ten years.

News Local/State

Engineer and land surveyor Rex Bradfield is launching another campaign for the office of Urbana mayor. With three Democrats in the race, that means there will be a competitive general election for the office in April. Bradfield has twice lost to incumbent Laurel Prussing, in 2009 and 2013. He says Urbana city government needs to to more to lure business to the city, and says funds have been wasted on downtown projects like the Boneyard Creek beautification.

News Local/State

Unemployment dropped by 0.3 percentage points, to 4.6 percent, last month — the lowest rate since 2007 — according to the monthly jobs report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

News Local/State

In a sign the stalemate in Springfield is as strong as ever, Governor Bruce Rauner on Thursday vetoed a bill that had once been held up as proof he and Democratic leaders were capable of working together. The action leaves politicians divided and could leave the financially-ailing Chicago Public Schools short some $215 million.

News Local/State

Like President Obama, Donald Trump must deal with the millions of old-school, middle-skill jobs, like manufacturing, that just aren't coming back. 

News Local/State

An Illinois House committee has endorsed a late-hour compromise on a monstrous energy plan originally designed to keep two unprofitable nuclear plants open, potentially saving 14-hundred jobs in Clinton and the Quad Cities. A House vote is expected Thursday, the last day of the fall veto session. Sen. Chapin Rose of Mahomet credits Gov. Bruce Rauner with becoming part of the talks with energy officials.