Illinois legislators will only get a brief post-election respite from politics; a week from Wednesday they’ll be back in Springfield to begin the veto session.The current makeup of the General Assembly will remain in place for that, but come the new year -- when the Capitol welcomes a new set of lawmakers elected Tuesday night -- the balance of power will shift, slightly.
The Illinois House and Senate both voted Friday morning to approve a $600 million short-term funding fix for financially struggling colleges and universities that have been without funding during the state budget stalemate.
President Barack Obama is returning to Illinois' capital at the twilight of his political career. White House aides say Obama wanted to return to the place his career started to discuss how the U.S. can "build a better politics'' in which Americans aren't so starkly divided by race, religion or political party.
President Barack Obama's speech Wednesday to the Illinois General Assembly comes nine years ago to the day after he stood before the Old State Capitol in Springfield and announced his run for president.
