The 98th Illinois General Assembly is sworn-in today. What are the hopes for the new batch of lawmakers?

The newly sworn in 113th Congress is entering the session with the task of addressing the debt ceiling and spending cuts.

Eleven area hospitals have been swamped with patients with the flu and flu-like symptoms. We get the latest on the outbreak from the Chicago Department of Public Health’s medical director.

The American Dialect Society names "hashtag" the word of the year. We speak with a local linguist who helped crown the winner.

Change at the top for troubled retailer Sears, bad news for Boeing, and what not to say in a job interview.

Marimba music fills a South Side church and creates opportunities for young musicians. We have the story.

The Illinois House approves driver's licenses for undocumented immigrants while Gov. Quinn demands that Illinois lawmakers vote on pension reform. We have the latest on the last day of the lame-duck session in Springfield.

The Illinois House approved a bill allowing undocumented immigrants to obtain driver's licenses. See how House members voted in our interactive graphic.

After fiscal cliff talks, comprehensive tax reform could be next. What changes could be part of that package, and would they benefit the economy? Our panel of tax experts has more.

Can a revamp of the city's community policing help the beleaguered crime rate? Paris Schutz has the story.

The Thompson Center could be transformed into a casino -- and city labor and business leaders are buzzing.

How malleable are political views? And a robot made without any electronics? Our science guy, Neil Shubin, joins us to help answer these questions and more in tonight's Scientific Chicago.

We preview a fresh, exuberant take on Gilbert and Sullivan by the gods of Chicago storefront theater.

A multimillion dollar public-private partnership has attracted donors from all over the world. We show you how it's breathing new life into old athletic fields.

We have your thoughts about the fiscal cliff deal in tonight's Viewer Mail.