Planning for the Illinois State Fair is in full swing. But the state of Illinois has yet to pay all the costs for last year’s fair, and the one before.

Rauner's first pick for ag director was a farmer. But Philip Nelson, who came to the job after serving as the president of the Illinois Farm Bureau, resigned in late September, less than a year into the job.

No reasons were given for the resignations of state Agriculture Director Phil Nelson and State Fair manager Patrick Buchen.

If you noticed the price of eggs going up this summer - there's a reason. Several states' bird populations were hit -- hard -- by avian flu. Wild birds, captive ones, and commercial and backyard poultry. But no cases were detected in Illinois.

Despite ideal weather, State Fair officials report fewer than 412,000 people attended this year.  The state provided no explanation for the figure that was less than half the 961,000 who attended as recently as two years ago.