The mayor’s office refused to produce more than 2,000combined emails the city identified as relevant to the speed camera, water rate and vehicle sticker issues, saying it would’ve been problematic to remove opinions or deliberations it can withhold from the public. more ›

Fourteen of the 21 same-day surgery centers that were inspected in Illinois were cited for infection control problems within the last year. more ›

The Illinois House approved a bill that would which would give government more power to delay Freedom of Information Act requests. more ›

The Illinois General Assembly approved by a 42-1 vote a bill that would prohibit the names of Firearm Owner's Identification Card owners to be released. If Gov. Quinn signs the bill into law, it would reverse a ruling by State Attorney General Lisa Madigan, who ordered the Illinois State Police to release the names of FOID owners under the Freedom of Information Act. more ›

To own a firearm in Illinois, you have to have a Firearm Owner's Identification Card (FOID). According to the Illinois State Police, "the FOID card is required for any resident of Illinois to possess or purchase firearms. During the FOID application process, the applicant’s identification and background information is checked. Individuals with prohibiting factors are disallowed from obtaining a FOID card." Last year the Associated Press filed a Freedom of Information Act requesting the names of all FOID card holders in the state, and their expiration dates. The state police, however, don't want to release the information. more ›

The folks over at Gawker filed a Freedom of Information Act request to get access to media pitches for interviews with then-governor Rod Blagojevich immediately after his arrest in December 2008 on fraud charges. The results are interesting to say the least (ABC 7's Andy Shaw being our favorite). You can check out their complete findings here. [via Dan Sinker] more ›

Adding to post-impeachment “stop corruption in Illinois” demands, a new University of Illinois at Chicago report draws on the state’s 150-year history of political sleaze to offer tips for improvement. The 49-page delve into Illinois dirty laundry traces its corruption record back to the 1860s, when the report’s authors say disorderly and rapid population growth in Chicago, in addition to a mass influx of immigrants needing support from local officials, fed the fire of the now infamous Machine. more ›

Governor Blagojevich suffered a setback today as the Fourth District Illinois Appellate Court ruled in favor of releasing to the public federal subpoenas his administration has received. The Better Government Association sued the Governor to release the documents under the state of Illinois' Freedom of Information Act claiming they wanted to see how extensive the corruption investigation of Blagojevich has become. more ›