Gov. J.B. Pritzker and four of his counterparts in the region are urging candidates in the 2020 presidential election to back a new plan aimed at protecting the Great Lakes.

State legislators laid out a rapid pace in the new gambling expansion law that will give Illinois six new casinos, including one in Chicago – so fast that it appears the state is already struggling to keep up.

If you filled up your gas tank Monday, you may have noticed it got pricier. What’s behind that bump, and what other new laws are going into effect at the start of Illinois’ new fiscal year.

With the swipe of a pen – several of them, actually – Gov. J.B. Pritzker made it official Tuesday: Illinois will become the 11th state where smoking or otherwise using weed is legal.

Recreational marijuana is all but a done deal in Illinois. Late last month, Illinois became the first state in the nation to approve such a measure via a legislative body. On Tuesday, Gov. J.B. Pritzker is expected to make it final.

Much of Illinois’ farmland is too wet to seed. Assessing the fallout from excessive rain – and what Gov. J.B. Pritzker plans to do about it.

Does Illinois really have a balanced budget? Local analysts weigh in.

“In a time when too many states across the nation are taking a step backward, Illinois is taking a giant step forward for women’s health. In this state, we trust women,” said Gov. J.B. Pritzker at a bill signing ceremony Wednesday in Chicago. 

Ald. Ed Burke gets his day in court. Gov. J.B. Pritzker gets his budget priorities passed. Chicago grapples with a spike in violence. And the Cubs get some much-needed pitching help.

Recently passed legislation to expand gambling in Illinois is so massive, not many people know everything that’s in it. That includes at least two of the state’s legislative leaders who helped negotiate the bill.

Passing and managing a budget is one of government’s most basic functions, but as he signed a new $40 billion spending plan into law Wednesday, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker called it a “watershed moment.”

Chicago is getting a massive casino that could rival Las Vegas operations in size and scope. But where will it go? Gov. J.B. Pritzker isn’t offering a site, but an opinion: not downtown.

During a whirlwind week in Springfield, Illinois lawmakers voted for a host of measures that left rookie Gov. J.B. Pritzker claiming triumph for the progressive agenda he’d promised.

By Saturday night, Republican representatives joined with Democrats who control the General Asssembly to agree to a massive package of bills comprising a $40 billion budget.

Six months from now, when Illinois residents ring in the New Year, they need not settle for a swig of champagne. They’ll be legally able to toke up.

A $39 billion budget. A public works program. Casinos. Legalized recreational marijuana. Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Illinois lawmakers have a single day – until 11:59 p.m. Friday – to wrap up all of that, and more.