Tammy Duckworth candidate questionnaire.

It's a subdued climate in Springfield, as Gov. Pat Quinn proposes what he calls "his most difficult" budget yet. Can the state pass the major cuts he wants even though legislators face reelection? We have a recap from Springfield, and then Carol Marin and her panel have analysis.

Despite pleas from the teachers union, school activists and parents, the Chicago School Board approved plans to turnaround, phase out or close 17 Chicago Public Schools. Elizabeth Brackett reports.

Gas prices look to be heading above $4 per gallon as tensions rise in the Middle East.

We visit a treasure box of a museum in the western suburbs and find out about the immigrant who built it, one stone at a time.

Chicago once had the busiest shipping harbor in North America, and this weekend the annual Chicago Maritime Festival celebrates our rich maritime past. We talk with a shipwreck diver and the festival's shanty-singing founder.

Vivek Bavda is undoubtedly the underdog in the 10^th District Democratic race in the congressional primaries. But his experience is different than the other candidates.

John Tree became a military hero of sorts late last year, subduing an unruly passenger on United Flight 448. MSNBC’s Chris Matthews witnessed the incident and invited Tree on his program. He was slowly gaining notoriety as a candidate in Illinois’ 10^th District, despite his late entry into the race in November.

Brad Schneider is a self-described progressive father of two, who, according to the latest internal polls, has pulled into the lead in the 10^th District Democratic primary.

At 25 years old, Ilya Sheyman is just old enough to run for Congress. But he’s made a big impression in a short amount of time.

The mayor wants to save money by putting fewer firefighters on a truck,  but firefighters say that would compromise safety. Eli

Children's Memorial Hospital is considering starting a clinic to serve kids who feel they were born the wrong gender. We talk with a doctor at the hospital who's pushing for this to happen.

Some familiar faces have been excluded from Chicago Magazine's list of the 100 Most Powerful Chicagoans. The magazine's executive editor tells us why.

Boxed wine, hangovers and mystery champagnes. Check Please! Host and Master Sommelier Alpana Singh answers your questions live on our show. Then, cozy up to your computer with your favorite cocktail and join us for a live online chat during and after the segment!

There were some unusual laws in what used to be a Christian Utopia, but is now Zion, Illinois.