Rather than put a complete end to the Put Illinois To Work Program, Governor Quinn signed a law yesterday using it. Effective immediately, employers who hire a former trainee from the program before June 30, 2011 will receive a $2,500 tax credit. The credit is also available to small businesses with fewer than 50 total employees. Businesses hiring from the Put Illinois To Work program can claim half the $2,500 within six months of the hire and the rest after a full year. more ›

Gov. Quinn's proposed income tax hike that he hashed out with state democratic leaders just cleared its first legislative hurdle. The House Revenue and Finance Committee approved of the hike by a 7-5 vote. It now goes to the full House for debate and a vote. more ›

On Sunday, the Illinois House voted 95-15 to limit the Seniors Ride Free program to only low income seniors and those with disabilities. Under the revised program, only seniors who qualify for the Illinois Circuit Breaker program may ride public transit gratis. Seniors who have free ride passes currently would be able to use them until their expiration. more ›

Even though football means the waning days of summer are upon us, we can't help but get excited to see our beloved Bears take the field once again. Especially when there is a major new addition to check out. On Saturday night, they suited up for the first time in '09 to knock pads with the Buffalo Bills and, more importantly, Jay Cutler made his Bears debut. The final score was 27-20, but, like all preseason games, it's pretty irrelevant as teams try to knock the rust off the veterans, players with the slightest of dings sit out, and new players try to make the regular season roster. more ›

Beginning in June, the approximately 3.8 million customers of Commonwealth Edison Co. who live in Northern Illinois can expect to see a 7.5 percent decrease in their household electricity bills -- a savings of $6.36 a month for the average residential customer. more ›

With all the recent ruckus over President Obama's stimulus package, it's easy to forget the swell of happy and goodwill that came from the Election Night Obamapalooza rally in Grant Park back in November. And this latest bit of news surely won't help: it seems the Democratic National Committee still owes the city $1.74 million stemming from the party. Peter Scales, spokesman for the city's Office of Budget and Management, said, "The Democratic National Committee has not yet paid us. We're reaching out to them this week." A DNC spokeswoman only responded with, "We are still looking at various costs and bills.'' According to the Sun-Times: more ›

It's been a week since Governor Rod Blagojevich was arrested on corruption and fraud charges. We aren't surprised so much with the what as with the why. Still, it's a week later and, besides becoming the laughing-stock of the country, not all that much has changed. Gov. Blagojevich is still in charge, he's still signing bills, and - yes - he even still has the power to appoint a senator to replace President-Elect Barack Obama. more ›