The Watchdogs: Roads are crumbling. Illinois is languishing at No. 49 among all states for funding education. And the state can't pay its bills -- Illinois Comptroller Dan Hynes figures state government's unprecedented $4 billion debt will balloon to more than $5 billion by March.
The Watchdogs: When you're governor, people give you all sorts of things. An Al Franken book. An Abe Lincoln Christmas ornament. A sterling silver spoon. And that's just from givers who've been convicted of federal crimes or are under federal indictment.
His wheeling-and-dealing as a powerhouse Chicago alderman won him the nickname "Fast Eddie." Today, former 10th Ward Ald. Edward Vrdolyak is set to go on trial on federal bribery and fraud charges that stem from one of his deals. The trial promises to be colorful and well-attended.
An uncanny likeness of freshly indicted political power broker William Cellini is pictured in an oil painting at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in Springfield.
The last time Illinois voters decided to rewrite the constitution, way back in 1969, the state ended up with a bumper crop of new political leaders.
Dr. Eric Whitaker and Sen. Barack Obama go way back. Their friendship began when they were graduate students at Harvard University. Now, Whitaker is one of Obama's closest advisers.
Doctors who are employees of Cook County-owned hospitals shouldn't be allowed to moonlight for a company owned by one of their bosses, the county hospitals board chairman said Monday in response to a report in the Chicago Sun-Times.
The Chicago Sun-Times asked the Illinois Department of Public Health several questions about Dr. Eric Whitaker, Quin Golden and Roxanne Jackson. Here are the department's responses from Melaney Arnold, its spokeswoman.
While working as the state health department's human resources director under Dr. Eric Whitaker, Roxanne B. Jackson also found time to practice law, handling dozens of bankruptcy cases during 14 months on the state payroll.
Quin Golden is Dr. Eric Whitaker's go-to person. She was his chief of staff at the state health department and now works with him at the University of Chicago Medical Center.
The Chicago Sun-Times posed questions to Roxanne Jackson about her employment and other involvement with the the Illinois Department of Public Health. Here are her answers.