Illinois education officials are out to get half of the state's budget—and they just might—to the detriment of the state's taxpayers, according to an online Wirepoints newsletter issued earlier today.

Illinois's powerful House Speaker Michael Madigan (D-Chicago), earlier today revealed to be a target in the same FBI investigation that led to an extortion indictment against a Chicago alderman, is not accused of anything new, a think tank reported.

Illinois's outgoing Republican governor saw a few of his vetoes overridden during the Fall Veto Session in Springfield and a few new laws have been passed, a QUAD city area lawmaker said in a summary recap released last week.

Illinois's "other debt disaster" is $73 billion in unfunded state retiree health insurance benefits and more than twice that amount owed over the next four decades, according to a special report issued this week by an online news outlet.

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While the rest of the state celebrated victories or mourned defeat after the general election on Nov. 6, the residents of Lake County had to wait another two weeks until the very last votes were counted. Too many races were just too close to call.

An attorney for the village of Lincolnshire plans to take its case to the U.S. Supreme Court after a federal appeals court upheld a lower court's decision denying the Chicago suburb the ability to implement a right-to-work ordinance.

Illinois Rep. Jeanne Ives (R-Wheaton) believes state lawmakers need to reject political pork spending that was hidden in the budget passed earlier this year.

Supporting a proposal to cut Illinois property taxes in half and a slate of political candidates who would help make that happen is part of Liberty Principles PAC's recently announced "Save Your Home" campaign.

An outgoing county board member is calling on Lake County voters to support a ballot question banning a proposed a statewide property tax that could raise levies by almost 50 percent for the next 30 years.

Lake County board member Steve Carlson says Gov. Bruce Rauner shouldn't sign off on a referendum that could lead to the county's assessor's office becoming an elected official and told the board as much during their meeting earlier today.

Not only is Illinois' overall population in deep decline, the number of people in prime working age also is going down in the state, a Chicago-based Conservative think tank said in a recent report.

Illinois state Sen. Julie Morrison (D-Deerfield) is complicit with the Democratic machine led by the House's powerful Speaker Michael Madigan (D-Chicago), recently denying Illinois voters a chance at fair maps in November, her Republican opponent said in a recent social media post.

Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner has yet to respond to a letter from a bipartisan group of Springfield lawmakers calling for him to release his plan for a new facility at the Illinois Veterans Home in Quincy.

If Rep. David McSweeney (R-Barrington Hills) has his way, former radical and terrorist, longtime fugitive and convicted murderer James William Kilgore will never again teach at the University of Illinois.

Going into the general primary election on March 20, Lake County voters will decide whether four local political subdivisions can raise their taxes or extend borrowing, in addition to mulling Republican candidates in state and Congressional house districts.

If Martin Filson can talk enough Lake Zurich Community Unit School District 95 voters into it, the almost $78 million bond issue request for school improvements and expansions on the March 20 ballot will fail.

Try as they might, there is little that Lake Zurich Community Unit School District 95 officials can do to stem the loss of students – and getting more money for expansions won't help, the fix needs to come from the state, a taxpayer advocate said during a recent interview.

Sometimes the fact-checker needs a good fact-checking.

An anti-abuse advocate who accused former Senate Majority Caucus Ira Silverstein (D-Chicago) of sexual harassment is asking the lawmaker's constituents to do what he and his colleagues have refused to do – remove him from the Senate.