A sometime critic of Gov. Pat Quinn praised the governor today for halting a costly office lease for a state agency. Rep. Jack Franks, D-Marengo, said Quinn listened to state lawmakers who blasted the lease as an example of government waste while the state's financial problems are causing program cuts and a mountain of unpaid bills.

Big Ten Player of the Year Evan Turner has been extremely busy leading Ohio State to the conference tournament title and a No. 2 seed in the NCAA tourney. Yet the St. Joseph graduate still finds time to talk to his high school coach every other week.
 

"Plug the gaps in porous health care system, don't reinvent it." So read our editorial headline last August about our first peek into this generation's stab at health care reform. Have we been heard?

We can think of very few things that drive taxpayers more crazy than stories like the one that emerged last week about the Illinois Department on Aging’s planned move from its state-owned headquarters into rented space that will cost $532,000 a year.

Chris Britt's editorial cartoon on the U.S. "skool" system.

For the novice college basketball fan who enters the NCAA tournament office pool, a University of Illinois professor and expert in statistical analysis has one bit of advice: After the tournament's first three rounds, ignore a team's seed while picking the regional finals and the Final Four.

The Illinois-Arizona overtime thriller in the NCAA regional final in 2005 became an instant classic. And when it was replayed on cable TV earlier this week, it likely had many Illinois fans wishing for a time machine. Those were the days when Illinois didn't pay much attention to the NIT.

If Illinois wins the NIT first-round game at Stony Brook on Wednesday, the school will begin ticket sales Thursday for a game Monday against the Kent State-Tulsa winner.

When Irish native Victor McMullan came to the United States to live, he had never considered celebrating St. Patrick’s Day with a meal of corned beef and cabbage.

The Illinois Policy Institute today proposed a budget that would make cuts and even eliminate many programs, beyond the cuts proposed by Gov. Pat Quinn last week.

This week's State Capitol Q&A takes a closer look at the fees and what lies ahead for lobbyists and lawmakers.

Female leaders from across the state called on Gov. Pat Quinn and legislative leaders Tuesday to approve a tax increase that would continue services supported by the state.

Erin Andrews said she still feels anxiety and public humiliation of what happened to her. The Westmont, Ill., man who committed the crimes, Michael David Barrett, 49, was sentenced to 30 months in prison Monday in the U.S District Court in Los Angeles and ordered to pay $7,366 in restitution to Andrews.

Department on Aging Director Charles Johnson said Tuesday a planned move of his agency from state-owned to leased offices has been put on hold because it has become a distraction in budget deliberations.

 Workers at Chrysler Group LLC’s Belvidere assembly plant churned out 17,181 Dodge Calibers, Jeep Compasses and Jeep Patriots in February.