MSNBC is reporting that Illinois Senate President Emil Jones is calling a special session of the legislature to pass a bill that will set a special election to pick Obama's replacement in the U.S. Senate. more ›

Outgoing Illinois State Senate President Emil Jones finally came right out and said what we were all thinking: he's interested in Obama's vacant U.S. Senate Seat. Speaking to WBBM yesterday, Jones said, "Yes, I am interested.'' Jones also echoed the sentiments of Rep. Bobby Rush, encouraging Governor Blagojevich to select a black replacement so the U.S. Senate is not all-white. Blago has promised we'll know who Obama's replacement is by the end of the year, which is good given that it appears our only current Senator has lost touch with reality. more ›

North Side State Senator Jon Cullerton (6th District) was selected to replace Emil Jones as President of the State Senate Wednesday night by fellow Democrats. The vote came on the second ballot as Cullerton defeated Belleville Sen. James Clayborne for the spot. The selection of Cullerton signals a shift in Springfield: Jones was an ally of Gov. Rod Blagojevich but Cullerton got his start as a deputy to House Speaker and Blago foe Mike Madigan. Senate Democrats will submit the Cullerton pick to the full Senate in January. Political alliances are fun! more ›

Mayor Daley has many nicknames among Chicagoans, but we're going to start referring to him as The Harbinger of Doom. Daley announced that he has been informed by several CEOs to expect massive layoffs in the city's private sector as the nation's current economic recession deepens. "Huge layoffs are coming in November and December. And next year, there’s going to be [even more] huge layoffs. All the corporation CEOs have come in to tell me. That’s just the beginning. It’s not their end result." Oh, and that $420 million budget hole the city is facing? Turns out that's not the only bad news we're facing.

The Chicago Sun-Times reported last week that Chicago will close the book on 2008 with an unreserved corporate fund balance of just $1.5 million, a dangerously low level that, Wall Street Rating agencies warned, threatens the all-important bond rating used to determine borrowing costs. more ›

A new ad by John McCain attempts to connect Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama to the storied Chicago "Machine." The ad connects Obama to Rezko, Emil Jones, and beleaguered Governor Rod Blagojevich. The Obama Campaign has responded by calling the new ad a “false, gratuitous attack." Obama's ties to the local political structure have previously been examined by the Trib and, more famously, in The New Yorker this summer, an article that was over-shadowed by The Great Cover Controversy of 2008. more ›

Emil Jones caved to Barack Obama's request today and said he will call the state senate back to session to vote on the stalled ethics bill next week. Jones says that he "stand[s] by" his position that the measure can wait until November and has agreed to the session "only at the request of my friend." The requests of lawmakers mean nothing! [Crain's] more ›

Although he's already announced that he won't be calling the State Senate back into session until after the November elections, Senate President Emil Jones is under pressure from lawmakers to call a vote on the state ethics bill. The House overrode Governor Blagojevich's amendatory veto of the bill last week, leaving the Senate just 15 days to take action or the bill dies. more ›

Cartoon for Chicagoist by Tim Daly more ›

Illinois Senate President Emil Jones circulated a memo Thursday saying that the Senate won't reconvene until November 12. That means that the fate of the state ethics bill may be in jeopardy. The ethics bill, subject of an amendatory veto by Blagojevich and overridden by the House just the day before, could die if the Senate doesn't take action within 15 days. But Jones spokesperson Cindy Davidsmeyer told CBS2 that the Senate has 15 days from when it holds its next meeting to take action. more ›

Delmarie Cobb, a Chicago political consultant, says State Senate President Emil Jones called her an "Uncle Tom" at hotel where the Illinois delegation is staying in Denver. Cobb, who is black, is a Hillary Clinton delegate, and says she and Jones were arguing about Clinton vs. Obama. more ›

Yesterday afternoon, local Democratic Party leaders in the 14th State Senate District met at the 34th Ward Regular Democratic Organization office, on 111th Street. They formally picked Emil Jones, III to replace his father on the ballot, who announced this week that he will retire. State Rep. Monique Davis, who has had a tenuous relationship with the Senate President, backed community activist Dozier Thomas over Jones the Third. While the elder Jones defended his choice, Mayor Daley told Chicago Public Radio that he would stay out of the fray. "That would be up to people in the Senate, that would be up to them to make the judgment what is good for the democratic party. They've had a lot of challenges over the years. I think they have to all come together in regards to a lot of issues," the mayor said. Threemil will face Ray Wardington Wardingley, who's hobby is running for office. more ›

State Senate President Emil Jones is expected to announce his retirement today, even though his office hasn't confirmed that yet. He's 72, and has been a state legislator since 1973; he became senate president in 2003. more ›

House Speaker Mike Madigan, speaking to the press at the Illinois State Fair, said yesterday that he may actually consider leasing the state lottery to pay for a capital construction plan. "Over the last few days in the House of Representatives, we've had two very productive meetings concerning a potential lease of the state lottery, where the proceeds of that lease would be used for a capital construction program," Madigan said. more ›

If the $1.4 billion in budget cuts to social programs stand, the blame falls squarely on the House, said Senate President (and Blago buddy) Emil Jones. "We have to have a balanced budget," Jones said Thursday. "I'm not going to get involved in playing silly games and giving false hopes to people when the money isn’t there. I support many of the programs that got cut. But we in the Senate also supported the revenue to support the budget. That’s why we passed the revenue to support the budget in May. Now, if the House was genuinely sincere about passing those programs, then they in turn would pass the revenue to support it." The House voted to override the governor's budget cuts, but Jones says that he won't let the same happen. more ›

She's the woman who could have been Governor. But in 2006, Judy Baar Topinka, longtime Illinois politician and State Treasurer under Jim Edgar and the not-convicted-yet George Ryan, was defeated in the Gubernatorial race by incumbent Rod Blagojevich. And just look where that's gotten us. While most of our day-to-day political thoughts right now are focused on the presidential election, we're also in the beginning of the race for Illinois Governor in 2010. So what does Topinka think about how the state is being run? No surprise here - she isn't much of a fan of Blago - but what about beyond that? Who's going to step up for the Republican party in two years? Who's going to try to replace G-Rod in the Democratic party? And is there any shot at getting him removed before 2010? All these answers after the jump. more ›

"After days of watching and baiting with chicken legs, officials say they have caught the 4-foot American alligator." [AP] more ›

The Illinois House voted to restore almost $500 million in cuts that Governor Blagojevich made to the budget earlier this month, although it remains to be seen if that money will make it into the budget. That’s because the State Senate still has to vote to approve the funds – and Senate President Emil Jones, a Blagojevich ally, says Illinois can’t afford it right now. "Overriding the cuts is being totally irresponsible," said Jones. "Without any money to spend, what are you going to do?" Many legislators believe that Blago cut the funds, which would fund hospitals, drug counseling and other social services, to retaliate against his political opponents. "The governor simply went too far. The governor had other options available, but he simply decided to balance the budget ... by taking it out on the workers of the state of Illinois," said Rep. Gary Hannig, on of the key budget negotiators. more ›

The Illinois state legislature is sort of a mess this. The House is in session, trying to fix the state budget, but the Senate isn't scheduled to return until after the November election. more ›

We'll keep our eyes peeled tomorrow for new designs for the Children's Museum proposed Grant Park digs. [Crain's] more ›

The transit crisis has been averted--and let's raise our lunchtime glasses to toast that miracle, shall we? --but it brought out some of the weirdest and worst in our local politicians. These are some of our favorite lines from the entire, oh, what should we call it, bill-capade? more ›

Right Now, the State Senate is in the process of grandstanding before voting on the amended transit funding bill. You can read Rich Miller's updates to this point here. more ›

Illinois state legislators are at it again today, after yesterday's close-but-no-cigar attempts to resolve the transit funding crisis. The House passed a sales-tax increase plan yesterday, but it fell one vote sort in the Senate; those so-and-sos are going to give it another go today because three of them abstained (courteously?) yesterday. more ›

yesterday that if the General Assembly sent him a transit bill that included a sales tax increase, he wouldn't veto it. Blagojevich has vowed since the beginning of the budget debacle to veto any sale tax increase to fund mass transit. more ›