Articles filed under Illinois

• How to contact your legislator May 26, 2012 12:00 AM
  How to contact state lawmakers, May 2012
  

   
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  Senate targets former Oak Brook chief’s pension May 26, 2012 12:00 AM
  The Illinois Senate has approved legislation that would strike down a pension-sweetening law that boosted former Oak Brook police chief Thomas Sheahan's pension and left the town with a $750,000 debt as a result.
  

   

• Budget showdown looming in Springfield May 26, 2012 12:00 AM
  State lawmakers foreshadowed a showdown over the Illinois budget Saturday, starting to advance a schools spending plan that would cut schools more deeply than a Senate proposal. The House and Senate are supposed to agree to a plan by a Thursday deadline, in addition to trying to reform the state's complex retirement systems.
  

   
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  Illinois man describes hours trapped in Iowa cave May 26, 2012 12:00 AM
  An Illinois man who was trapped in an Iowa cave for 20 hours said he wasn't initially worried when he got stuck the narrow passage, but he lost track of time and turned to prayer as a dozen rescuers took turns crawling through 300 feet of twists and turns to free him.
  

   
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  First Dodge Darts from Ill. plant reach showrooms May 25, 2012 12:00 AM
  The first Dodge Darts to come out of a revitalized Chrysler plant in northern Illinois were shipped off to dealers this week, setting the stage for what chief executive Sergio Marchionne called the automaker's "real battle" in the compact market.The 2013 Dart five-seat sedan, made at the Belvidere assembly plant, has received good reviews from automotive analysts so far and will now be judged by consumers.
  

   
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  Noland refuses to bring eavesdropping bill to a vote May 25, 2012 12:00 AM
  Legislation that would allow people to record the public activities of police officers has stalled, because the sponsoring senator opposes the House's changes to the measure. Sen. Michael Noland of Elgin won't call a vote for the so-called eavesdropping bill because he believes police should have wider powers to record civilians.
  

   

• Lawmakers: Cut regional school superintendents May 25, 2012 12:00 AM
  Illinois lawmakers want to cut the number of regional school superintendents by 20 percent. They've passed legislation to trim the 44 regional superintendents to just 35. The Illinois House sent it to the governor Friday without a single "no" vote.
  

   
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  House approves $1 cigarette tax hike May 25, 2012 12:00 AM
  The Illinois House approved a proposal Friday to raise the prices of cigarettes by $1 a pack. The proposal, approved 60-52, is part of a package meant to fill a $2.7 billion Medicaid funding shortfall. "It's a win for hospitals, it's a win for health care for the poor, and it is a win for the health of the people of Illinois," said Rep. Barbara Flynn Currie, sponsor of the plan. But shop owners disagreed.
  

   
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  Pension debate: Higher school cost in, raised retiring age out May 25, 2012 12:00 AM
  As lawmakers appear to be stepping back from two proposals to cut teachers' pension benefits, a plan to have local school districts and community colleges take over the state's share of future retirement costs remains in play.
  

   

• Old Ill. weather records remarkably accurate May 25, 2012 12:00 AM
  
  

   

• Syngenta agrees to settle US suit over herbicide May 25, 2012 12:00 AM
  
  

   

• How to contact your legislator May 25, 2012 12:00 AM
  How to contact state lawmakers, May 2012
  

   

• Unemployment offices closed Monday May 25, 2012 12:00 AM
  Illinois Department of Employment Security offices will be closed Monday in observance of Memorial Day. Website services will remain available. Those include filing for first-time unemployment benefits, certifying information to receive benefits, or switching payments to a direct deposit system.
  

   

• Durbin says northern Illinois will get ‘strong’ U.S. attorney May 25, 2012 12:00 AM
  U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin says he's spoken with Attorney General Eric Holder about a replacement for U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald. Durbin said Friday that Holder assured him that he will name a "strong and competent" acting U.S. attorney who will serve until the Senate confirms a nominee.
  

   
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  Bill inspired by Elgin school stabbing goes back to House May 25, 2012 12:00 AM
  The Illinois Senate Friday approved legislation inspired by an Elgin case in which a teacher was stabbed, sending to the House a plan that would try to prevent school violence.
  

   
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  Resilient dog survives prostate cancer May 25, 2012 12:00 AM
  There are few things more grim for a dog than prostate cancer. And when a little scrap of a dog named Bear was diagnosed with this disease in November 2010, nobody figured he'd live longer than six to nine months. But Bear just wasn't ready to go that soon.
  

   
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  Don’t touch that dial; more changes coming to TV viewing May 24, 2012 12:00 AM
  Kukec's eBuzz column features how Motorola Mobility, Verizon Wireless and Comcast Corp. are changing the way you view television on all your devices with their latest products and apps.
  

   
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  Plastic bag recycling plan rejected May 24, 2012 12:00 AM
  The Illinois House Thursday narrowly rejected a proposal to create a statewide recycling program for plastic shopping bags based on an effort already going on in Lake County.
  

   

• Plastic recycling plan fails by one vote May 24, 2012 12:00 AM
  The Illinois House Thursday narrowly rejected a proposal to create a statewide recycling program for plastic shopping bags based on an effort already going on in Lake County.
  

   

• Court rules U of I lawsuit not a federal matter May 24, 2012 12:00 AM
  An appeals court has vacated a decision by a federal court that the University of Illinois can't withhold the identities of students involved in a 2009 admissions scandal. Thursday's decision by the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago means the university — at least for now — doesn't have to release the names of students involved in the Category I admissions scandal.