House Speaker Michael Madigan announced he would suspend his campaign for House Speaker of the 102^nd General Assembly on Monday, but his statement made clear he was not withdrawing from the race.

“This is not a withdrawal. I have suspended my campaign for speaker,” Madigan said in a statement released by his office Monday morning.  “As I have said many times in the past, I have always put the best interest of the House Democratic Caucus and our members first. The House Democratic Caucus can work to find someone, other than me, to get 60 votes for Speaker.”

Local municipalities will soon lose the leverage of seizing state tax returns or other expected Illinois payouts to pay off red-light camera fines.

Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza announced that, starting Feb. 6, the state will no longer collect fines against drivers who receive red light camera tickets.

Illinois House Speaker Madigan ends effort to retain leadership post after being implicated in bribery investigation.

A Chicago pension bill that sputtered last spring is now barreling toward final passage after getting approval from the Illinois Senate over the objections of Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s administration.

The Senate voted 37-14 today to double the cost of living adjustments (or COLAs) for a subset of roughly 2,200 firefighters, sending the measure to Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s desk for final approval. Proponents say the change would help Chicago firefighters get the same benefits as others get in the state. But the city is opposed, saying it would “cost taxpayers $18 to $30 million per year.”

Illinois Department of Veterans’ Affairs Director Linda Chapa LaVia announced her resignation Monday following a contentious House committee hearing on the deadly COVID-19 outbreak at the LaSalle Veterans’ Home that has killed more than a quarter of the facility’s residents.

“It’s been an honor and a privilege to serve our veterans,” LaVia said in a news release announcing her resignation. “I’m proud of our accomplishments and I look forward to assisting the interim director in any way possible as the department continues its work to serve our heroes.”

The first of two bills that would boost the bargaining clout of the Chicago Teachers’ Union cleared the Senate today and needs only a signature from Gov. J.B. Pritzker to become law.

But a second measure, to begin electing members of the Chicago Board of Education, has run into some trouble and may not be called for a vote by Senate President Don Harmon before tomorrow night’s deadline.

A Cook County assessor’s report on 2019 property reassessments in the North and Northwest suburbs says efforts to improve taxpayer equity and fairness have been undone to some degree by Board of Review rulings on commercial property owners’ appeals.

Those properties have been underassessed by an average of 40% in past years, shifting more of the tax burden on to homeowners, the assessor’s office argues.

The Magnificent Mile has long been one of Chicago’s biggest tourists draws, and a hot spot for retail flagships that build brands and win over customers.

For the last few years, however, storefronts on the renowned shopping district have been emptying out, and the pandemic has been an accelerant.

As the General Assembly’s lame duck session moved into its third day, lawmakers in both chambers turned their attention to a sweeping bill aimed at narrowing economic disparities faced by Black and brown communities in Illinois.

That is one of the four pillars that make up the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus’ agenda, which has been the focus of the lame duck session thus far.

Beverly Earley made the gut-wrenching decision to fully close down her restaurant Riverside Pub in Burtons Bridge shortly after Gov. JB Pritzker banned indoor dining again in October.

In the weeks since, she has questioned her choice to not embrace carryout as the only means of doing business amid the pandemic and been criticized by competitors for speaking to government authorities about her disappointment in how the public health crisis has been handled and what she feels is relaxed enforcement of the state’s rules at other restaurants.

The Illinois House of Representatives continued to debate a massive criminal justice omnibus bill Sunday that would transform policing practices in the state.

A 611-page amendment to House Bill 163 would heavily revamp use-of-force guidelines, mandate body cameras for every law enforcement agency, end cash bail, remove some qualified immunity protections, and strip collective bargaining rights relating to discipline from police unions. Further language could be added in a future amendment as well.

City leaders are looking to help businesses hurt by COVID-19 restrictions by cutting some of their costs associated with liquor license and video-gaming permits.

Taverns and eateries have been battered by the mitigations, which have barred in-person service for months at a time. And even when it was allowed, the seating capacity inside was limited.