Politics
Across the region, video gambling devices are allowed in more than 200 communities and banned in more than 60. It’s legal in almost all of Kane, McHenry and Will counties. Critics worry about oversaturation and negative social effects.
The Aurora native rose from the Illinois House of Representatives to the U.S. speaker of the House. But his conviction in 2016 for financial misconduct led to revelations that he sexually abused teenage boys in the 1970s while he was a wrestling coach at Yorkville High School.
Illinois is among several states pushing to regulate the booming industry, which strongly resembles traditional gambling.
The scooter-share service, in a letter to City Council, said a proposed ordinance hands Lyft and Divvy a monopoly over micromobility services in Chicago.
The unanimously approved settlement would resolve 16 police misconduct lawsuits and compensate 17 plaintiffs framed for murders by corrupt former Chicago Police Detective Reynaldo Guevara.
Durkin, the moderate suburban Republican who has long opposed President Donald Trump, said he’s tired of “the Darren Bailey shtick.”
Starting Monday, the Crisis Assistance Response and Engagement (CARE) program will extend its hours of operation to 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Friday and add a second shift of evening staff.
Goodell has met with Illinois officials twice in as many months while Bears minority owner Pat Ryan takes a more active role in talks.
Kelly made the promise while showcasing his political candor to an audience of movers and shakers at the City Club of Chicago Thursday.
“We have a lot of these cases. Any time we can put them all together and package them and get a better settlement amount, it’s best for the taxpayers,” said Ald. Pat Dowell, chair of the City Council’s Finance Committee.
Evan Musikantow was ordered to serve two years after being convicted in federal court in Chicago under a rarely used “deadbeats” law.
Now that 5% of parking revenues are earmarked for city pensions, Finance Committee Chair Pat Dowell (3rd) says it “makes sense to do an escalator” for parking rates that have been frozen since 2022, and consider charging even higher rates for out-of-town motorists.
On Thursday, early voting for the midterm general election on Nov. 3 began for Chicagoans, at the city’s Early Voting Supersite, at 137 S. State St., and at the Chicago Board of Elections offices, at 69 W. Washington St., 6th floor, and by mail.
From voter registration guidance to early voting sites, here’s everything you need to know cast your ballot in Illinois.
After the March primaries, many candidates are running unopposed. Some suburban battles are heating up.
Democrat Patty García faces independent candidate Chris Getty, Working Class Party candidate Ed Hershey and Republican Lupe Castillo in the 4th Congressional District race.
This far southwest suburban district provides one of the few competitive races on Illinois’ heavily gerrymandered political map, and it’s at the center of the latest sexual harassment scandal to rattle Springfield.
The Trump administration’s moves against Illinois has elevated incumbent Kwame Raoul’s role to defender of the state’s federal funds, meaning former two-term 2nd Ward Ald. Bob Fioretti has a challenge on his hands.
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, Republican Darren Bailey and independent candidate Collin Corbett are on the ballot in the race for governor in the Nov. 3 general election.
Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton, who has served alongside Gov. JB Pritzker since 2018, faces Don Tracy, the former chair of the Illinois Republican Party. Whitfield Harrington Jr. is the independent candidate.
The incumbent Giannoulias is also a frontrunner for the 2027 Chicago mayor’s race, while Republican challenger Diane M. Harris faces long odds in a statewide office.
The last Republican comptroller ceded office a decade ago, when outgoing Democratic incumbent Susana Mendoza was first elected.
Nearly 1,500 daily buses serve 22,000 weekday passengers on 21 routes on the 1½-mile stretch of Michigan Avenue between Wacker Drive and Roosevelt Road.
The former school board vice president says he doesn’t want to try to keep up with the flood of money from special interest groups and their messaging “that’s completely unrelated to student success.”
Prosecutors will start allowing defendants in certain low-level cases to complete programming in exchange for having their charges dropped. State’s Attorney Eileen O’Neill Burke touted the initiative, saying her office “can make it less likely that these individuals will commit more crimes.”
The Council agreed to require future borrowing to be approved by a three-fifths vote. But its support for the reform championed by retiring Ald. Marty Quinn fell two votes short of the 34 votes required to override a mayoral veto.
New York investment firm Stonepeak Partners’ gets to acquire Chicago parking meters after Council leaders brokered a compromise to sweeten the sour deal for the city.
One year after rejecting the mayor’s corporate head tax, 29 opposition alderpersons tried to establish boundaries for the budget debate. At the top of the list — no property tax hike.
Under county ethics rules, that’s allowed. A Preckwinkle spokesperson said, “Residents can trust that decisions are made in full compliance with the law and in full public view,” and union support “is a reflection of shared values, not a quid pro quo.”
More than a year after the law was signed, the state has made little progress and appears poised to miss a December deadline for a required report.
