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An inside look at the politics practiced from Chicago's City Hall to
the Statehouse in Springfield, from Chicago Tribune reporters.
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the Statehouse in Springfield, from Chicago Tribune reporters.
Twitter | RSS | Older posts
New Illinois doctor database launches online
Illinois patients can now research their doctors using an online database the state launched Wednesday.
Get the full story >>Ald. Burke opposes Emanuel on charging religious schools for water
One of the City Council’s most powerful members today questioned two key ways Mayor Rahm Emanuel has proposed to generate millions...
Get the full story >>Emanuel praises status quo on bond ratings
No news is good news when it comes to the city’s bond ratings, Mayor Rahm Emanuel said today after three bond rating agencies affirmed...
Get the full story >>City watchdog credits Emanuel for 'honest approach' to budget
City Inspector General Joseph Ferguson, who had questioned Mayor Rahm Emanuel's committment to watchdog efforts, said today the mayor is...
Get the full story >>Emanuel says he consulted on Occupy Chicago arrests
Mayor Rahm Emanuel said today he consulted with Chicago Police Supt. Garry McCarthy late Saturday night before police arrested about 175...
Get the full story >>City cross-checking sticker scofflaws with state database
Chicago City Clerk Susana Mendoza said Monday her office has begun cross-checking Illinois secretary of state car registration information...
Get the full story >>Watered-down vacant house measure passes City Council panel
Over the objections of community activists, a Chicago City Council committee on Monday signed off on a watered-down proposal to hold banks...
Get the full story >>Quinn wants new bill that limits gambling opportunities
Gov. Pat Quinn today called for an overhaul of the widespread gambling expansion pending in the General Assembly, saying it needs to be...
Get the full story >>Chicago-area candidates stockpile campaign cash
Chicago-area Republican and Democratic congressional candidates are stockpiling cash as they gear up for March primary elections that are...
Get the full story >>Remap ruling could cut against Dem Congressional Campaign Committee
A three-judge federal court panel in Chicago has opened the door for Republicans to try to learn the extent of the role played by the...
Get the full story >>Preckwinkle plays hardball with Cook County unions
Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle is asking county unions to agree to eight unpaid days off of work next year to help save 500...
Get the full story >>Emanuel stands by $60 city sticker increase
Mayor Rahm Emanuel today defended lowering the weight benchmark at which SUV and mini-van owners will have to pay more for city stickers,...
Get the full story >>Emanuel says suburbs will pay more for city water
Mayor Rahm Emanuel today defended his proposed water and sewer rate hikes that will more than double bills for many city households by 2015,...
Get the full story >>Democratic fundraising heats up in 8th Congressional District
The Democratic primary contest in the newly drawn northwest suburban 8th Congressional District is heating up financially as well as...
Get the full story >>Quinn wants Madigan push to end controversial scholarships
Gov. Pat Quinn said Thursday that he will ask House Speaker Michael Madigan to run legislation later this month to eliminate the scandal-...
Get the full story >>Forest Preserve to get technology upgrade
Cook County Forest Preserve District workers soon will be getting e-mail addresses, performance reviews and clear descriptions of their...
Get the full story >>Speaker Madigan to block Quinn's veto on legislative scholarships
House Speaker Michael Madigan will block Gov. Pat Quinn’s attempt to eliminate an oft-abused legislative scholarship program,...
Get the full story >>Illinois Republicans offer online straw poll
Illinois Republicans, still uncertain of their importance in the White House nominating process, will run a presidential straw poll...
Get the full story >>Romney gets Hastert support as Perry comes to raise money in Chicago
With Texas Gov. Rick Perry scheduled for two days of fundraising in the Chicago area, rival GOP presidential contender Mitt Romney today...
Get the full story >>Emanuel calls for water fee hike, hiring more police, parking lot tax
Mayor Rahm Emanuel today called for raising water fees to repair an aging system, hiring new police and putting in place a congestion tax on...
Get the full story >>Emanuel defends secrecy of business group he chairs
Mayor Rahm Emanuel said today a city-funded group of business executives he chairs should be allowed to meet in secret to discuss luring...
Get the full story >>Emanuel budget preview: fine, fee increases, police station closures
Mayor Rahm Emanuel's first budget proposal will include increases in fines and fees and the closure of three district police stations.
Get the full story >>Daley doesn't explain how money ended up at wife's charity
Former Mayor Richard Daley popped up to give a tour of Millennium Park Monday, but did not address why more than a dozen companies...
Get the full story >>Democrats turn ribbon-cutting into Obama jobs bill rally
Illinois politicos today flocked to the city’s Englewood neighborhood, turning a groundbreaking ceremony for a rail project into a...
Get the full story >>Emanuel says Obama accountable for economy
Mayor Rahm Emanuel hit the national airwaves today to defend his former boss and said President Barack Obama faces a re-election challenge...
Get the full story >>Cook County worker quits over resume questions
A politically connected Cook County Forest Preserve employee hired by Board President Toni Preckwinkle resigned Friday after being...
Get the full story >>Quinn heads downstate to defend ComEd veto
Gov. Pat Quinn headed downstate Thursday to defend his veto of smart grid legislation backed by Commonwealth Edison, urging lawmakers to...
Get the full story >>State's Attorney Alvarez endorsed despite African-American complaints
Cook County State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez won the expected endorsement of Democratic slatemakers Thursday despite complaints from...
Get the full story >>Emanuel, McCarthy shift 138 officers from jail lockups to beat patrol
Nearly 140 Chicago police officers will move from jail lockups to beat patrols, Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Police Superintendent Garry...
Get the full story >>Suzi Schmidt to stay in office, seek re-election
State Sen. Suzi Schmidt announced Wednesday that she will stay in office and seek re-election next year, despite recent controversy over her...
Get the full story >>More non-violent offenders getting home monitoring in Cook County
Cook County judges are giving more nonviolent defendants house arrest as an alternative to jail time under a collaborative push among the...
Get the full story >>Illinois House GOP leader says Democrats not interested in cutting business tax
Illinois House Republican leader Tom Cross said Wednesday that he’d try to cut back the state’s recent corporate income tax...
Get the full story >>Quinn says he'll detail gambling objections this month
Gov. Pat Quinn on Wednesday made his first public appearance since returning from China and said he plans to detail proposed changes to a...
Get the full story >>Chicago City Council bans texting while bicycling
Bicyclists soon will face the same restrictions against texting while riding in Chicago as motorists do while behind the wheel.
Get the full story >>ComEd veteran to head Illinois Power Agency
Gov. Pat Quinn on Wednesday replaced the head of the independent Illinois Power Agency, which has saved consumers an estimated $1.6...
Get the full story >>Quinn announces $78M state venture capital program
Gov. Pat Quinn Wednesday announced a program aimed at helping Illinois businesses and entrepreneurs gain access to funding they need to...
Get the full story >>Emanuel plans to halve employer head tax
Mayor Rahm Emanuel this morning said he plans to cut in half the city’s so-called head tax, which requires larger companies to pay a...
Get the full story >>Halvorson takes on Jackson for Congress
Former one-term U.S. Rep. Debbie Halvorson of Crete said today she would challenge incumbent Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr. for the...
Get the full story >>City nearing $1.2 million settlement in wrongful murder conviction
A man who spent 12 years behind bars for a murder he was later cleared of is in line to receive a $1.25 million settlement from the City...
Get the full story >>Businesses could face fewer city inspections
Some Chicago business owners would face fewer city inspections under changes Mayor Rahm Emanuel's administration hopes will make it less...
Get the full story >>City watchdog questions cash to Maggie Daley charity
The charity founded by former Chicago first lady Maggie Daley received more than $900,000 in mostly undisclosed contributions from companies...
Get the full story >>Emanuel cracking down on City Hall scofflaws
Mayor Rahm Emanuel is cracking down on City Hall and agency employees who owe Chicago $3 million in unpaid water bills, parking tickets,...
Get the full story >>$11M in savings seen by pooling city-county services
Chicago and Cook County could save $11 million next year by working together to deliver services, according to a report released today.
Get the full story >>U of C police to patrol three charter schools
The University of Chicago Police Department is asking the city to extend the boundaries of its authority so it can help secure three charter...
Get the full story >>Council backs police misconduct agency chief
Despite continuing concerns about a backlog at the agency that handles allegations of police misconduct, Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s...
Get the full story >>Texting while bicycling in Chicago could soon equal a ticket
Chicago cops could ticket bicyclists who text while riding on city streets under a proposal endorsed today by a panel of aldermen.
Get the full story >>Emanuel eliminating 400 City Hall management positions
Mayor Rahm Emanuel said today he is eliminating 400 senior and middle manager positions to save $25 million in next year’s budget.
Get the full story >>Plan pushed to abolish recorder of deeds office
A Cook County commissioner today pitched the idea of merging the recorder of deeds operation into the county clerk's office.
Get the full story >>Arbitrator rules against Quinn on layoffs, closures
An independent arbitrator has ordered Gov. Pat Quinn to halt plans to lay off 1,600 workers and close seven state facilities, saying Quinn&...
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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.