Stories by Amanda Vinicky

Nearly a half-century after it was first approved by Congress, Illinois on Wednesday night became the 37th state to vote to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment.

With only two more days before the Illinois legislature’s budget deadline, insiders say a bipartisan deal is within reach.

Chicago’s long-held desire for a city-owned casino will continue to go unrequited if an Illinois House panel’s Memorial Day vote against a massive gambling expansion package stands.

As Illinois heads into the home stretch of its legislative session, lawmakers intimately involved in budget negotiations have an eye on reaching a bipartisan deal by next Thursday’s deadline. 

As the weather gets nicer, Chicagoans and tourists are expected to flock to an increasingly popular destination: the Chicago River and attractions along its main branch. But has it become too congested?

Gov. Bruce Rauner’s critics can accurately say he has failed to pass major parts of his agenda. But Rauner has made good on pledges to live in the capital city and revitalize the executive mansion.

The Illinois Department of Public Health launched a new pilot this week. How the Infant at Work program aims to make life a little easier for working parents.

Gov. Bruce Rauner on Monday used an unconventional method to announce a sweeping public safety plan that includes reinstating the death penalty in Illinois. 

Stern warnings on state budget prospects from a nonpartisan fiscal watchdog.

Illinois’ top lawmakers and Gov. Bruce Rauner met privately in Springfield on Tuesday in an attempt to do something they’ve been unable to accomplish since Rauner took office – brokering a full year’s budget deal.

Illinois has won long sought-after permission from the federal government to take a more flexible approach to treating opioid disorders, drug abuse and other behavioral health issues.

An income tax rate that would rise or fall based on your income level: Is that playing politics with your paycheck?

Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner weighs in for the first time on a new entrant to the governor’s race: state Sen. Sam McCann.

Gov. Bruce Rauner vetoed the Gun Dealer Licensing Act in March. Wednesday was key to determining whether that veto would stick. 

Illinois may have a budget (for another few months anyway), but the two-year stalemate continues to put a drag on the state’s finances.

He first became head of the Democratic Party of Illinois in 1998. Despite his longevity, House Speaker Michael Madigan isn’t a beloved figure.

May-Ling Ho-Shing is a survivor of the Feb. 14 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. The 17-year-old shared a message Thursday with students at Thornwood High School in South Holland.

Supporters have tried to resurrect the ERA for years, but the movement gained steam Wednesday, passing the Illinois Senate by a vote of 42 to 12 – more than 35 years past its deadline.

The Winter Olympics are long gone, but at the Chicago Children’s Museum, kids can continue to experience elements of the Korean culture they’ve seen glimpses of on TV.

The remaining 7.5 weeks of the Illinois General Assembly’s spring session comprise Gov. Bruce Rauner’s last real chance before November’s election to show voters that the skills he used to amass a personal fortune can transfer to state government.

There’s more rancor than ever in deciding what a community board to oversee Chicago police should look like, and what powers civilians should have. 

Federal law permits betting on sports in just a few states that had laws on the books before a federal ban in the early 1990s. But a case before the U.S. Supreme Court could change that.

Loyola’s Cinderella story came to an end Saturday when the men’s basketball team was bested by Michigan, but that doesn’t mean the competition is over.

With the race for governor winnowed down, Democrat J.B. Pritzker and Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner are wasting no time in going after one another. 

Brace yourselves, Illinois residents. The matchup between Gov. Bruce Rauner and venture capitalist J.B. Pritkzer virtually guarantees incessant campaigning and political ads leading up to the Nov. 6 general election.

A conversation with on-again, off-again Cook County assessor candidate Andrea Raila, now that she’s on the ballot.