Just weeks before Gov. Pat Quinn is set to make his budget address, government watchdog group The Civic Federation releases a proposal it says will balance the state’s budget. The plan would pay down the state’s backlog, but would impose a tax on pension and social security income. Civic Federation President Laurence Msall and State Director for AARP Illinois Bob Gallo discuss how the proposal could affect retirees. Read the full report.

The first wave of concealed carry licenses in Illinois are ready to be printed and sent to their new owners. Brandis Friedman has an update on the process.

Joel Weisman and his panel of journalists discuss the week's top headlines.

Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle and Sheriff Tom Dart are being sued for an alleged culture of brutality and violence at Cook County Jail. Paris Schutz has the details.

Chicago Police Supt. Garry McCarthy joins us to discuss the increased use of the so-called Hug-A-Thug interventions, whether the severe weather has played a role in Chicago’s declining crime rate, and the impact that the capture of Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán may have on drugs and gangs in Chicago.

Illinois is now rated as the least credit-worthy state in the nation. It seems increasingly likely that some form of state tax reform must be a part of any plan to address the state’s long-term fiscal woes. But what type of reform? State Rep. David McSweeney and State Rep. Christian Mitchell debate the merits of a progressive vs. a flat tax. View an infographic from Reboot Illinois for a nationwide overview on taxes.

Paris Schutz reports on why a race for Illinois State Representative between two Chicagoans is turning ugly, and has powerful Democratic party insiders on edge. Read an article.

After more than a decade on the run, notorious drug kingpin Joaquín "el Chapo" Guzmán was captured by Mexican authorities on Saturday. We hear from the head of the Chicago Crime Commission on Guzmán's arrest, and the chances that he'll ever be brought to trial in Chicago where he was indicted in 2009 on numerous charges by federal authorities. View a timeline of Joaquín "el Chapo" Guzmán's criminal career.

Gary, Indiana Mayor Karen Freeman-Wilson joins us to discuss drug courts, Gary making progress and more. Watch her state of the city address and read an interview about the War on Drugs.

Former Ukraine President Viktor Yanukovych is on the lam, wanted for his role in the mass murder of dozens of protestors in Kiev. We hear the latest about the unrest in Ukraine, and get a primer on its history and politics from Northwestern University history professor Yohanan Petrovsky-Shtern.  

We share what you had to say about our conversation with ADHD Doesn't Exist author Dr. Richard Saul and the ruling to expedite same-sex marraige licenses when we read some of our viewer feedback.

Gay couples can now tie the knot in Chicago’s Cook County. Read an interview with Cook County Clerk David Orr and watch a web extra video interview with Charlie Gurion and David Wilk, the first gay couple to get a marriage license today.

More winter storms rock the Chicago area; the Republican candidates for governor debate in Springfield, while Gov. Pat Quinn refuses to debate Democratic opponent Tio Hardiman; the faculty at UIC stages a strike to demand higher wages; and Northwestern football players state their case to unionize to the National Labor Relations Board.

Eddie Arruza and his panel of journalists discuss Illinois’ pension reform overhaul. Watch the web extra video.

We share what some of you had to say about our conversations with Judge Diane Wood and Rabiah Mayas when we read some of your viewer feedback.

Legislators gather in Springfield today to hash out plans for moving the state forward. Budget proposals, tax hike remedies and the ever-present pension reform issue hang in the balance as the Republican primary draws near. Is progress being made on these issues in the state capital? Do Illinois governor hopefuls have new ideas for state reform, and will we hear about them before the March 18 primary? We have analysis.