Governor's race, gay marriage top 2014 list of Illinois stories

The election of Bruce Rauner, Illinois' first Republican governor since 2003, topped the state's news in 2014, reflecting concerns about an uneven economy and showing that voters were unhappy enough with the state of the state to want change.

The Associated Press' Top 10 Illinois stories of the year also featured a number of specific state government issues - enactment of the first law allowing state residents to carry concealed weapons, the first gay marriages in state history and a move toward the first legal sales of medical marijuana.

By the end of the year, evidence surfaced that the economy was improving. And sports was big news, too: A Chicago Little League team made global headlines, and Cubs fans saw reason to hope their team soon might truly be big league again, too.

The Top 10 Illinois stories of 2014:

1) Bruce Rauner, a Republican businessman, defeats incumbent Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn in November, giving the GOP control of Illinois' executive branch for the first time in more than a decade. Rauner vows to bring state spending under control but faces the challenge of working with a Democratically controlled General Assembly.

2) Illinois becomes the last state in the nation to implement the legal concealed carry of firearms. At least 84,000 people apply for permits. In Chicago, meanwhile, a federal judge overturns the city's ban on gun stores.

3) Same-sex couples across Illinois begin marrying after a judge tells county clerks to issue licenses even before the state's gay marriage law is fully in effect. A handful of counties started marrying gay couples in February with the remainder joining in June.

4) Lawmakers in November sign off on long-awaited rules for high-volume oil and gas drilling, known as "fracking." Opponents claim the rules don't address environmental concerns, but industry advocates had warned that businesses would go elsewhere because of delays.

5) The Jackie Robinson West Little League team from Chicago wins hearts and admiration along with a national championship in August, before losing to South Korea in the Little League World Series finals. Later, Little League International investigates a rival team's complaint, concluding that the Jackie Robinson team didn't violate rules requiring players to live within the city.

6) The state begins a four-year pilot project allowing medical marijuana sales. More than 11,000 start to apply for licenses to buy cannabis and more than 150 applicants want to grow it.

7) Illinois' unemployment rate finally made serious improvement in 2014 after years of post-recession struggles. From well above 9 percent in late 2013, the jobless rate fell to 6.4 percent in November.

8) Timothy L. Killeen was named in November as the next president of the University of Illinois. He'll take over in July after Robert Easter retires but must contend with the school's financial and other challenges, including two faculty hiring decisions that led to protests.

9) The Chicago Cubs begin a long-planned renovation of Wrigley Field as the baseball season ends, along with an overhaul of their roster that raises hopes once again. The long-struggling Cubs hire big-name manager Joe Maddon and add high-priced free agents.

10) State Comptroller Judy Baar Topinka dies of complications from a stroke, little more than a month after winning re-election. Following a colorful, three-decade career in Illinois public life, Topinka's death sets off legal and political wrangling over who should decide her replacement - Quinn, Rauner or voters.