Lost in the hoopla of former Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s homecoming speech Wednesday was a nod he gave to the mild-mannered man standing nearby. So, who is Mark A. Vargas? Our politics team digs into that and more.

Former Gov. Rod Blagojevich celebrated his homecoming Wednesday with a media spectacle at his North Side home. But public sentiment about his early release from prison is divided.

City Council approved a climate emergency resolution Wednesday, but no specific actions are on the horizon.

Early voting is underway at 50 neighborhood sites and the city’s downtown “super site.” Here’s everything you need to know.

Speaking to a throng of reporters from his North Side home, the impeached former governor expressed his appreciation for President Trump and his efforts to fix “a broken criminal justice system.”

With the acknowledgement that “our choices remain hard, our fiscal situation challenging,” Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Wednesday delivered his proposal for a $42 billion state spending plan for the coming fiscal year.

Rod Blagojevich returned home to Chicago early Wednesday, shaking hands and signing autographs after President Donald Trump cut short his 14-year prison sentence.

Even as cities like Rockford and Waukegan move forward with their fresh authority to host casinos, Chicago is at a standstill.

Details on how a proposed Trump administration order could limit the design of future federal buildings.

Hundreds of thousands of black Chicagoans have fled the city since 1980, according to a recent report. What’s driving that exodus, and what can be done to reverse the trend?

President Donald Trump has gone on a clemency blitz, commuting what he called a “ridiculous” 14-year prison sentence for former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich and pardoning former New York Police Department commissioner, among a long list of others.

President Donald Trump’s commutation of Rod Blagojevich’s 14-year sentence ends a corruption saga that has been both notorious and bizarre.

In the war against plastic pollution, Illinois legislators just announced a new battle plan that would tackle the problem from multiple angles.

President Donald Trump, who had previously floated the idea of using his powers to help the disgraced former governor, commuted the 14-year sentence Tuesday. In making that move, Gov. J.B. Pritzker said Trump “abused” his pardon power.

Embattled Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx is speaking out nearly a week after a special prosecutor reindicted actor Jussie Smollett.

On Wednesday, Gov. J.B. Pritzker will lay out his vision for the state budget. His office has already made public his plan to send more money to the Department of Children and Family Services.