State News

SPRINGFIELD – A groundbreaking deal to regulate high-volume oil and gas drilling in Illinois cleared a top House committee Tuesday, setting up a floor vote on a measure that supporters say would bring tens of thousands of jobs to struggling areas in the southern part of the state.

CHICAGO – Members of Illinois' tea party movement say they'll protest outside IRS offices in four cities over revelations that the agency targeted conservative groups for extra scrutiny.

NORMAL – School officials and some students say a ban on smoking in high traffic areas at Illinois State University is going smoothly so far.

CHICAGO – A manager of Chicago’s Navy Pier rode the tourist spot’s Ferris wheel for more than two days – 384 times, up and around – bringing the world record for the longest ride to the birthplace of the amusement park favorite.

ST. LOUIS – A coroner said the five people killed and six hospitalized after a van careened off of a southern Illinois freeway were men returning from a California religious event.

CHICAGO – Gov. Pat Quinn said Illinois lawmakers have a chance to make history on two fronts this month by approving a plan to fix the state’s decades-old pension crisis and legalizing same-sex marriage.

SPRINGFIELD – An Illinois agency manager might have to delay retirement. A former university secretary wonders whether she’ll have to cancel vacations. A state office assistant fears he won’t be able to afford the medical care his wife needs.

CHICAGO – Seeking to keep pace with changing technology, Illinois toughened penalties Saturday for those who use social media and text messaging to organize violent “flash mobs” like those that have occurred on Chicago’s Michigan Avenue and in other tourist areas.

SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois General Assembly has just two weeks left in Springfield before it adjourns for the summer, leaving lawmakers with a tight deadline for action on issues including tackling the state’s pension crisis, gay marriage and how guns will be allowed to be carried in public.

SPRINGFIELD – Medical marijuana use in Illinois is now in Gov. Pat Quinn’s hands after the state Senate approved legislation.

CHICAGO – Community groups in Illinois have been given more time to apply for $28 million in grants to help consumers learn how to shop for health insurance that will be available under President Barack Obama's health overhaul law.

CHICAGO – As the guitarist strums and softly sings a lullaby in Spanish, tiny Augustin Morales stops squirming in his hospital crib and closes his eyes.

SPRINGFIELD – An Illinois Senate panel approved a measure Thursday allowing the carrying of concealed weapons, but the committee's move followed sharp questioning from Republicans concerning whether packing a gun in Chicago should require special permission and how authorities would determine who is fit to carry.

SPRINGFIELD – Politics has long been a family business in Illinois, a place where who you know – and who you’re related to – matters more than most. But the family drama shaping up around the next governor’s race adds a new layer of intrigue in a Capitol already grappling with huge financial problems.