Teachers threaten an April strike. The Illinois House votes to strip Mayor Rahm Emanuel of school board control. Homicides soar and police morale sinks. And baseball is back. Joel Weisman had guests for these stories and more.

Gov. Bruce Rauner says there are bills he supports that would fund higher education institutions in Illinois, but he says powerful House Speaker Mike Madigan is making sure they do not go anywhere. Paris Schutz has the latest.

Like a planet drifting into a black hole, the state’s unprecedented political stalemate over the budget is increasingly sucking public education into financial uncertainty. State lawmakers discuss the fight over public education and Gov. Bruce Rauner's budget ultimatum.

A coalition of homeless service providers who pleaded with Gov. Bruce Rauner on Friday to unlock $310 million worth of state funding say they will likely only get a small part of their wish.

Gov. Bruce Rauner makes another move to take over Chicago Public Schools. This one, he says, could happen without legislative approval.

A persistent group of nonprofit organizations that provide services to the homeless met with Gov. Bruce Rauner on Friday to push for his support of a bill that would unlock $310 million in state aid to fund homeless programs.

Political and police accountability tops this week's news. Join Joel Weisman and guests for discussion and analysis of the week's top stories.

Reaction to Gov. Bruce Rauner's second budget address from Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle, who says no state budget means layoffs are around the corner.

Gov. Bruce Rauner on Wednesday laid out two options for state lawmakers in his second budget address. Tonight, Amanda Vinicky joins us live from Springfield with more details of the governor’s budget proposal and response from Democratic legislative leaders.

Amid the budget stalemate, many public universities have been operating without funding from the state. Chicago State University has gone most of the fiscal year without a third of its budget. CSU President Thomas Calhoun Jr. tells us what's at stake.

New taxes – and lots of them. That's what Illinois will need to dig out of its current fiscal mess, according to a new report from the Civic Federation.

The head of the state's largest social service organization says the state's ongoing budget impasse has now reached a crisis level that could impact the lives of hundreds of thousands vulnerable citizens. Paris Schutz has the exclusive story.

On Monday, the state of Illinois announced the reopening of the Illinois State Museum, a 138-year-old institution closed by Gov. Bruce Rauner last September. But it's not exactly that easy. 

Gov. Bruce Rauner says he believes the General Assembly will pass his proposed legislation to have a state takeover of Chicago Public Schools and to enable them to declare bankruptcy. This, as CPS finally completes its delayed $875 million borrowing deal. Paris Schutz has more.

The cost of Illinois’ budget impasse? The income tax would have to go up 100 percent if the state’s debt is to be paid off through revenue alone, according to state Comptroller Leslie Munger. How much longer can the state teeter along without a budget? Paris Schutz has more.

Mayor Rahm Emanuel joins us to talk about the gridlock in Springfield, the financial crisis at Chicago Public Schools and police accountability. Watch the full discussion now.