Local political coverage
An inside look at the politics practiced from Chicago's City Hall to
the Statehouse in Springfield, from Chicago Tribune reporters.
Twitter | RSS | Older posts
the Statehouse in Springfield, from Chicago Tribune reporters.
Twitter | RSS | Older posts
Illinois State Fair opens with food, fun and politics
SPRINGFIELD — The Illinois State Fair opened today, and the politicians aren’t depending on rallies next week to strut their...
Get the full story >>City asks community to be 'a force for good'
Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy announced today the launch of “A Force For Good,” a new...
Get the full story >>Speaker Boehner headlines Hinsdale fundraiser for remap challenge
U.S. House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio headlined a suburban fundraiser on Friday, helping raise money for a Republican legal challenge to...
Get the full story >>Safe haven law for abandoned newborns expands
Parents have a new set of safe havens if they want to give up newborns anonymously.
Get the full story >>Quinn appoints Alexi Giannoulias chairman of college board
Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn will name former Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias as chairman of the Illinois Community Colleges Board today.
Get the full story >>Emanuel says city obligated to pay for Daley defense in Burge case
Mayor Rahm Emanuel today said the city has an obligation to pay for former Mayor Richard Daley’s legal defense if he is sued for...
Get the full story >>Quinn wants to abolish lawmaker scholarship program
Gov. Pat Quinn on Tuesday renewed his call to eliminate a program that lets lawmakers grant scholarships to state schools as federal...
Get the full story >>Emanuel defends property tax increase for Chicago schools
Mayor Rahm Emanuel today said a property tax hike for Chicago Public Schools is acceptable because district administrators have made large...
Get the full story >>Chase adding 400 new jobs downtown, at new branches
Chase will add 400 new jobs by the end of next year at several downtown facilities and four new bank branches, according to a City Hall news...
Get the full story >>Park District, company pronounce Soldier Field ready for Saturday game
The Chicago Park District and the company it pays to run Soldier Field this afternoon pronounced the playing surface ready to go for...
Get the full story >>Durbin: S&P; downgrade a 'wakeup call' for bipartisanship
U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin said today he's hopeful the downgrade of the nation’s credit rating by Standard & Poor’s will become a...
Get the full story >>Illinois Republican delegation unveils own map
Republicans in the state’s congressional delegation on Thursday unveiled their own map of U.S. House districts in their federal...
Get the full story >>Durbin says tax reform must be part of future deficit talks
With the nation getting a temporary reprieve from Washington’s partisan battles over debt and deficit reduction, U.S. Sen. Dick...
Get the full story >>Company sues after losing O'Hare concessions contract
The company that lost the concession contract at O'Hare International Airport's international terminal sued today, arguing the new firm will...
Get the full story >>Obama tries to turn page with Chicago fundraiser
Taking a brief hometown respite Wednesday night, President Barack Obama used a 50th birthday bash in Uptown to raise re-election money...
Get the full story >>Dismissing firefighters might cost more than mileage racked up, Emanuel says
Mayor Rahm Emanuel agrees that Chicago firefighters accused of padding their mileage misused taxpayer money, but expressed frustration...
Get the full story >>Deal reached on Lincoln Park Hospital development
The company behind the controversial Lincoln Park Hospital site redevelopment has agreed to scale down its plans, place further limits on...
Get the full story >>Lost pet microchip scan measure signed into law
Gov. Pat Quinn today signed a measure into law aimed at helping reunite lost pets with their owners by requiring animal shelters to be...
Get the full story >>Obama in Chicago tonight for 50th birthday campaign fundraising events
President Barack Obama is back in town tonight, doing some birthday fundraising for his 2012 re-election bid at a North Side concert hall.
Get the full story >>Felons found with guns now face automatic jail time
Convicted felons found illegally carrying guns will now face automatic jail time under a measure Gov. Pat Quinn signed into law today.
Get the full story >>New soccer goal law has a big loophole
Gov. Pat Quinn signed a measure into law today aimed at ensuring schools, park districts and other organizations that use soccer goals...
Get the full story >>3 of 4 candidates to head CHA from outside Chicago
Mayor Rahm Emanuel is considering four people to lead the Chicago Housing Authority as he looks to fill a vacancy created after the agency&...
Get the full story >>Quinn dons Packers jersey in settling Super Bowl bet
KENOSHA-- Gov. Pat Quinn traveled to a Wisconsin food bank Tuesday to hold up his end of a losing bet that the Bears would defeat the...
Get the full story >>State staff recommends 'no' on latest Oak Forest Hospital plan
Cook County’s bid to transform Oak Forest Hospital into a regional outpatient clinic should be denied, according to a staff report...
Get the full story >>Obama to head home for 50th birthday fundraiser
The sound of helicopters over the Chicago lakefront today signaled the practice drills that accompany a presidential visit. And with...
Get the full story >>Quinn signs Illinois DREAM Act
Gov. Pat Quinn today signed a measure into law creating a privately-funded scholarship program for documented and undocumented immigrants, a...
Get the full story >>Emanuel vows no tax hikes to bridge $635.7 million budget gap
Mayor Rahm Emanuel today said next year's city budget hole is nearly $636 million and he won't use one-time fixes or reserves to fix it.
Get the full story >>Quinn won't say if he supports major toll increase
Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn isn't taking a position yet on his tollway board's idea to nearly double tolls to pay for new roads and road work.
Get the full story >>City dedicates library to former Mayor Daley
Chicago officials on Thursday continued the time-honored tradition of imprinting the city’s public buildings with the names of...
Get the full story >>Illinois license plates could get ads
The Illinois Secretary of State’s office will study the possibility of placing corporate logos on license plates under a measure Gov....
Get the full story >>Emanuel, aldermen send message to Chicago coal-fired power plants
The company that owns two pollution-spewing coal-fired power plants targeted by environmental activists could be forced to talk clean-up...
Get the full story >>Alderman wants changes to police board
Chicago Ald. Bob Fioretti today introduced an ordinance that would require the largely secretive work of the Police Board to be more open.
Get the full story >>New curfew for Chicago children under 12
The Chicago City Council today approved without debate an earlier curfew for children younger than 12.
Get the full story >>Quinn defends appointing Burkes' daughter to $117,000-a-year state post
Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn today said politics were “absolutely not” involved in his decision to give a high paying appointment...
Get the full story >>O'Hare concessions deal sails through City Council
Mayor Rahm Emanuel won approval today of a 25-year deal that will replace a clout-heavy concession operator at O’Hare Airport’...
Get the full story >>Emanuel ethics reforms back on track at City Council
Mayor Rahm Emanuel's plan to tighten lobbying rules passed the Chicago City Council today after some slight modifications.
Get the full story >>Preckwinkle orders 5 percent spending cut
Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle today ordered a 5 percent spending reduction for the rest of this year as she tries to get a...
Get the full story >>Quinn appoints Burkes' daughter to $117,000-a-year post
Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn on Wednesday gave a highly paid position to the daughter of the Illinois Supreme Court justice who swore him...
Get the full story >>Chicago Bear among picks for library board
Mayor Rahm Emanuel has named Chicago Bears defensive end Israel Idonije to the Chicago Public Library Board of Directors, part of the latest...
Get the full story >>Emanuel ethics reform stalls in City Council over non-profits
Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s effort to tighten the city’s lobbying rules stalled Wednesday after aldermen suggested it could stifle...
Get the full story >>State Sen. Susan Garrett won't run for re-election
Democratic State Sen. Susan Garrett announced today that she will not seek another term in office, saying she’s had a fulfilling...
Get the full story >>Preckwinkle says county layoffs 'inevitable'
Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle today said that layoffs are expected to be part of the preliminary budget she's scheduled to...
Get the full story >>Preckwinkle asks McCarthy to stop arresting low-level drug offenders
Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle said today that she’s asked Chicago Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy to consider...
Get the full story >>Emanuel, McCarthy like earlier curfew
Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy voiced their support for a curfew ordinance that will be considered by the...
Get the full story >>Quinn signs chemotherapy insurance measure into law
Gov. Pat Quinn today signed a measure into law aimed at protecting cancer patients from paying more money if they take oral chemotherapy...
Get the full story >>$6.5 million for unmarked car accident that killed Chicago boy, injured girl
The City Council Finance Committee today approved paying $6.5 million to settle a lawsuit stemming from the death of an 8-year-old boy and...
Get the full story >>50 Chicago cops to be deployed to rail, bus stations
Mayor Rahm Emanuel plans to hire 50 full-time police officers to patrol rail and bus stations around the city.
Get the full story >>Republicans sue over Illinois congressional districts
Republican congressmen and a GOP-backed group filed a federal lawsuit today challenging the redrawing of the state’s congressional...
Get the full story >>Quinn to settle Bears-Packers bet at Wisconsin food pantry
Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn will head north next weekend to settle a losing bet that the Bears would defeat the Green Bay Packers in January&...
Get the full story >>Quinn wants unions back at table on McCormick Place changes
Gov. Pat Quinn today tried to pressure McCormick Place union leaders back to the negotiating table to consider work-rule changes, saying he'...
Get the full story >>|
|
Clout has a special meaning in Chicago, where it can be a noun, a verb or an adjective. This exercise of political influence in a uniquely Chicago style was chronicled in the Tribune cartoon "Clout Street" in the early 1980s. Clout Street, the blog, offers an inside look at the politics practiced from Chicago's City Hall to the Statehouse in Springfield, through the eyes of the Tribune's political and government reporters.