With the gubernatorial election now just seven weeks away, a dour report issued today by Moody’s Investors’ Service underlines just what’s at stake for Illinois and its taxpayers.

The report technically is about the impact of a couple of new laws intended to make it easier for the state to juggle its available cash. But the real news is that, despite a roaring national economy that can’t continue forever, Illinois still is pretty much treading water when it comes to paying off old bills.

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times …”

That famous line from Charles Dickens’ “A Tale of Two Cities” may well describe the way Chicagoans feel about their city in this moment.

A new poll shows that city residents feel either immensely positive and optimistic or negative and pessimistic about the city based on factors like neighborhood, race and age.

The Wilmette mother at the center of a child welfare investigation that began after she let her 8-year-old daughter walk their dog around the block is using her newfound platform to shine a light on the troubles of others she says are unfairly caught in the system.

After Corey Widen’s story, which was first reported in the Tribune, made its way around the world, the 48-year-old mother of two said the response was staggering.

Three Chicago horse-drawn carriage owners are suing animal welfare activists, accusing them of defamation and interfering with their businesses in an effort to get the carriages banned from the city’s streets.

The owners filed their lawsuit Sept. 11, a day before a City Council committee heard three hours of heated arguments over a proposed ordinance that would bar them from renewing their licenses to operate. The committee ultimately adjourned without voting on the ordinance, after its chairwoman said she’d like to see if a compromise could be reached between the city and carriage owners.

Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s administration will send the City Council two ordinances on Thursday to seal a 99-year deal to build the Obama Presidential Center in Jackson Park.

City Hall officials involved in the negotiations with the Obama Presidential Foundation briefed reporters on Tuesday with the actual written legislation not available because it was still being finalized.

The McHenry County Board voted Tuesday night to reduce its size by
25 percent.

McHenry County Board Chairman Jack Franks characterized the 19-3 vote adopting an ordinance to reduce the size of the board from 24 to 18 members as a victory for government officials and residents alike.

Woodstock’s downtown TIF No. 2 doesn’t even exist, but it has piqued the interest of at least two local developers.

On Tuesday, the City Council approved a tentative agreement to give tax increment financing funds to a developer who wants to build housing on the vacant site formerly housing Die Cast near the Woodstock Station subdivision.

Staring at a possible $6 million deficit in 2019, the city would need to cut 60 positions if no other revenue is found.

This time, police and fire departments wouldn’t be spared, City Manager Patrick Urich told a special meeting of the Peoria City Council, a policy session on budget issues Tuesday night at the Peoria Riverfront Museum.