Bob Secter

Cook County Commissioner Jesus "Chuy" Garcia hopes to unseat Mayor Rahm Emanuel.

Jesus ‘Chuy’ Garcia hopes to rekindle Harold Washington torch at City Hall

May 15, 2019 at 2:29 p.m.

In a sign of demographic and political shifts that have swept Chicago, Jesus "Chuy" Garcia brought his mayoral campaign the other day to a steel plant in Bridgeport, the ancestral...

Gov. Bruce Rauner and Lt. Gov. Evelyn Sanguinetti listen as Christine Radogno speaks during the inauguration of the Illinois Senate at the Illinois Capitol in Springfield on Jan. 14, 2015.

How do ‘blind trust’ procedures announced by Rauner work?

August 18, 2019 at 6:37 p.m.

Bruce Rauner's wealth proved to be a double-edged sword on his march to becoming Illinois' governor, buying top-notch campaign machinery but giving rivals an opening to question his ability to...

Bruce Rauner arrives by motorcycle to greet a cheering crowd on Republican Day at the Illinois State Fair.

Illinois budget big challenge as Rauner takes over

August 18, 2019 at 6:32 p.m.

On his path to becoming Illinois' next governor, equity investor Bruce Rauner boasted he would be able to fix the state's massive financial problems, assuring voters, "I've been a success...

Gov.-elect Bruce Rauner has said he wants to cut taxes over the long run but has been vague about his plans for the near term. Even at the higher, expiring income tax rates, Illinois' financial footing was dire.

Illinois income tax rate falls by 25 percent

May 21, 2019 at 3:00 p.m.

With the dawning of the new year, take-home pay could get a little sweeter for millions of Illinois workers while the sour financial picture of Illinois government will turn ever...

Trees removed to make way for Maggie Daley Park on Dec. 11, 2014, are stripped of bark and turned upside down. They are being repurposed as a design feature in the Enchanted Forest.

Hundreds attend Maggie Daley Park ribbon-cutting

May 21, 2019 at 2:32 p.m.

With the debut of Chicago's Maggie Daley Park on Saturday, the snaky "bridge to nowhere" over Columbus Drive finally gets somewhere to go, the city gets another superpark tourist draw...

Illinois Comptroller Judy Baar Topinka introduces The Warehouse, an online database that puts local governmental financial information and tens of thousands of records at a single location for taxpayer review, on Oct. 28, 2013.

State constitution murky on appointing successor to Comptroller Topinka

May 15, 2019 at 2:24 p.m.

The Illinois Constitution is clear that a vacancy in the state comptroller's office is filled by an appointment made by the governor. But the timing of Comptroller Judy Baar Topinka's...

Obama visits Chicago to tout immigration action, cites Ferguson controversy

August 18, 2019 at 6:19 p.m.

Saying the American experience was formed by "stitching together folks from different backgrounds," President Barack Obama used a Polish cultural center in Chicago as a backdrop Tuesday to draw a...

Gov.-elect Bruce Rauner takes a photo with Alison Daley, 34, of Peoria while meeting with supporters at the Barrack's Banquet Center in Peoria.

Rauner runs risks moving from attack dog to pragmatist

August 18, 2019 at 6:12 p.m.

Bruce Rauner long has spoken of the need to demand more from teachers and students alike. But before a conservative audience in Lake County last fall, the then-Republican candidate for...

Quinn concedes defeat to Rauner in Illinois governor’s race

May 15, 2019 at 2:22 p.m.

Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn conceded Wednesday afternoon to Republican challenger Bruce Rauner, a day after the most expensive and bitter contest for chief executive in Illinois history. "It's clear that...

Rauner, Quinn out of sight day after election

May 25, 2019 at 1:22 p.m.

A day after Republican Bruce Rauner claimed victory in the Illinois governor race, both the challenger and Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn remained out of the public eye as each team...

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