Fresh off cementing his influence over the Illinois Democratic Party with the election of his hand-picked chair, Gov. J.B. Pritzker has given $5.5 million to the state party and campaign committees aimed at helping Democrats maintain supermajorities in the Illinois House and Senate in November.

The governor, a billionaire heir to the Hyatt Hotels fortune, on Friday gave $1.5 million to the Democratic Party of Illinois, now headed by Pritzker-backed state Rep. Elizabeth Hernandez of Cicero, according to state campaign finance records. That brings Pritzker’s total contributions to the state party during the current election cycle to $3 million, approaching the nearly $3.2 million he gave the state party in 2018 as he made his successful bid for a first term.

Arlington Heights residents say bring on the Bears, but don’t expect us to foot the bill.

A new survey found what residents are willing to give up to get the Monsters of the Midway: traffic’s fine, but a tax increase is unacceptable — that’s the bottom line.

Americans for Prosperity Illinois, a political advocacy group, surveyed Arlington Heights residents — the majority of whom say they will not support a taxpayer funded NFL stadium.

Seventy-one percent want the Bears, but 68-percent say they don’t want to pay for it.

Oakbrook Terrace can use its controversial red-light enforcement cameras while a lawsuit over the devices proceeds, a DuPage County judge has ruled.

Judge Craig Belford on Monday granted the city’s request to prevent the Illinois Department of Transportation from enforcing its May order to remove the cameras at Route 83 and 22nd Street.

Illinois is third in the country for losing the most affluent residents to other states, a new study shows.

Using migration patterns between 2019 and 2020, personal finance website SmartAsset found that only California and New York lost more residents that made $200,000 or more. According to the data, Illinois experienced a net loss of 8,044 high-earners during that period.

The report notes that movement of high-earners can have a significant financial impact on a state. When a state loses more high-earning tax filers than it gains in a given year, tax revenues may decline and the state’s fiscal situation may worsen.