Byron Nuclear Generating Station in Ogle County, Illinois. (Christopher Peterson / Wikimedia Commons)

Lawmakers couldn’t clinch a deal on a comprehensive energy package before their regular session ended in May, but were called back to Springfield on Tuesday to try again. Instead, the Senate adjourned once again without taking action.

(WTTW News)

Illinois Democrats used their supermajorities in the General Assembly to full advantage this weekend as their spring session reeled toward an end, pushing through a progressive agenda, a $42 billion budget with no tax or fee hikes on individuals, and legislative maps.

(WTTW News)

Illinois legislators voted along partisan lines Friday in response to another set of political lines: the boundaries of districts for the legislature, state Supreme Court and the Cook County Board of Review.

(Meagan Davis / Wikimedia Commons)

The Illinois legislature is not coming back this year. What does that mean for the Black Lives Matter movement and the state budget?

(Meagan Davis / Wikimedia Commons)

A feud between President Donald Trump and Gov. J.B. Pritzker has been reignited. Could it put money for the state at stake?

Springfield readies for the 2020 legislative session. The mysterious coronavirus rears its head in Chicago. House Democrats wrap up their impeachment case against President Trump. And Tribune reporters take on their owners.

Illinois Senate President Don Harmon appears on “Chicago Tonight” on Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2020. (WTTW News)

At a time when leading legislators’ private side jobs are increasingly under scrutiny, newly elevated state Senate President Don Harmon will step down as a partner at the law firm Burke Burns & Pinelli, Ltd. to focus full-time on his new leadership position.

Sen. Don Harmon of Oak Park appears on “Chicago Tonight” on Feb. 22, 2018. (WTTW News)

Illinois’ primary election isn’t until March, but perhaps the most consequential state race of the year has already taken place, as state senators on Sunday elected a new president: Sen. Don Harmon of Oak Park.

In this June 2016 file photo, Illinois Senate President John Cullerton talks about plans for a temporary state budget. (WTTW News)

Senators have been scrambling since Senate President John Cullerton made a surprise announcement that he’ll resign in the new year, leaving vacant one of the most powerful positions in state politics.

,

As President Donald Trump indicates his desire to work on gun safety measures, Democrats in Springfield are aiming to tighten controls on gun dealers.

(Courtesy of U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science)

Tweaking Illinois' landmark energy bill would trigger more than $2 billion in wind farm construction, a state senator says. 

(iStock.com)
,

A state senator has proposed legislation that would partially ban the use of lead-based ammunition, but one gun rights group is calling the bill “a blatant attack” on the rights of hunters.

While bobcats are seldom seen by humans due to the species' elusive nature, wildlife experts say their numbers have increased in Illinois. (Don DeBold / Wikimedia Commons)

An Illinois senator is renewing his call for a proposed ban on bobcat trapping and the sale of the animals' pelts after a reported deal with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources fell through.

(Summer M. Tribble / Wikimedia Commons)

This fall, hunters in Illinois will be able to hunt and trap bobcats for the first time in more than four decades. But some state lawmakers are pushing for a ban on trapping the animals and selling their pelts.

Gov. Bruce Rauner wants a freeze on all property taxes in Illinois. He says that’s what he needs before he’ll agree on new revenue in a budget. Will it work? Paris Schutz has the latest.