Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker pointedly used his State of the State address Wednesday to frame Illinois in a positive light thanks to the burst of laws passed during the first year of his administration.

Instead of spending Tuesday in Springfield for the start of Illinois’ 2020 legislative session, former state Sen. Martin Sandoval spent it in federal court in Chicago, where he admitted to taking a quarter of a million dollars in bribes.

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.

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.

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.

House Speaker Michael Madigan has shelled out big money from his campaign fund to pay attorneys – and he isn’t the only public official to do so.

After 41 years in public service, Illinois Senate President John Cullerton is stepping down. He reflects on recent headlines, his life in politics and what’s next.

A shocking email has Springfield at attention and Madigan on the defensive. Presidential hopefuls set up shop in Illinois. Cannabis flies off the shelves in Chicago and a local coyote gets a DNA test.

House Speaker Michael Madigan rebuffed a call by his Republican counterpart to convene a special House committee to investigate an alleged “criminal cover-up” detailed in an email written by one of Madigan’s top confidants.

The fallout from an explosive story involving a top ally of House Speaker Michael Madigan. Our politics team digs into that story and more in our weekly roundtable.

A bipartisan task force was established last spring to tackle the issue of the state’s high property taxes. But that task force is now being attacked by Republicans, who say their ideas and contributions have been ignored. Is that the case?

A new state commission has just over three months to come up with recommendations on how Illinois can “improve public trust in government.” On Monday, the group had its initial meeting in Chicago.

From legal pot to a ban on animal-tested cosmetics, more than 250 new laws take effect in Illinois on Jan. 1. Here are 20 you should know.

State Sen. Martin Sandoval, D-Cicero, hasn’t made a public appearance since the FBI raided his home and offices in September. He will step down on Jan. 1, 2020.

Earlier this month, the Illinois legislature voted to consolidate almost 650 suburban and downstate police and fire pension funds into just two. How exactly will it impact the state’s beleaguered finances? 

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.