Illinois Public Media and NPR Illinois hosted an Illinois Issues Forum on the state budget impasse. Illinois residents who have been directly impacted discussed the burden placed on their community. 

When Illinois voters go to the ballot in November, many will find that they only have one candidate listed on their ballot for some offices. Illinois has a larger percentage of these uncontested races for its state legislature than many other states that are similar in population size. 

Illinois legislators will return to Springfield Tuesday, leaving them one last day to get a budget deal in order. This year's spending plan expires at midnight on June 30. Not only is there no long-term agreement, there's no sign of a provisional one either.

Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner wants to create 'right-to-work zones' in Illinois. Kentucky recently began a similar experiment to allow workers to opt-out of union dues, and could offer some clues as to what to expect in Illinois.

Gov. Bruce Rauner's executive order freezing "non-essential" state spending is raising questions about exactly what spending it covers at state universities.