http://www.mail.com/organizations/1847032-illinois-government.html Mail.com - the best personalized free web-based Email en en http://sec-s.uicdn.com/mail.com/2.28/img/mailcom_logo_rss.png http://www.mail.com/organizations/1847032-illinois-government.html http://www.mail.com/news/politics/2088386-family-drama-adds-intrigue-to-ill-governors-race.html SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — Politics has long been a family business in Illinois, a place where who you know — and who you're related to — matters more than most. But the family drama shaping up around the next governor's race adds a new layer of intrigue in a Capitol already grappling with huge financial problems. Though the election is a year away, the pos... Wed, 15 May 2013 21:40:31 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/2088386-family-drama-adds-intrigue-to-ill-governors-race.html 2013-05-15T21:40:31Z http://www.mail.com/scitech/news/2064398-scenic-struggling-s-illinois-braces-oil-rush.html VIENNA, Ill. (AP) — This is the Illinois that many people never see — the sparsely populated southern tip where flat farmland gives way to rolling hills, rocky outcrops, thick forests and cypress swamps. Blacktopped county roads wend through no-stoplight towns. Locals speak in soft drawls and talk of generations who've lived on the same land or in the sam... Mon, 06 May 2013 03:45:01 GMT http://www.mail.com/scitech/news/2064398-scenic-struggling-s-illinois-braces-oil-rush.html 2013-05-06T03:45:01Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/2007378-ex-ill-lawmaker-elected-to-succeed-jackson-jr.html CHICAGO (AP) — Former Illinois state Rep. Robin Kelly, whose campaign received a $2 million boost from New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, easily captured Tuesday's special election to replace former U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. The win for the Matteson Democrat was widely expected as the Chicago-area district, which Jackson represented from 1995 until ... Wed, 10 Apr 2013 02:26:14 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/2007378-ex-ill-lawmaker-elected-to-succeed-jackson-jr.html 2013-04-10T02:26:14Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1993130-gop-sen-kirk-announces-support-gay-marriage.html CHICAGO (AP) — GOP Sen. Mark Kirk of Illinois on Tuesday became the second sitting Republican senator to endorse gay marriage — a move that also could shift the political debate over legalizing gay marriage in Kirk's home state. Kirk, who has opposed a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage, said in a post on his blog that "same-sex couples should ... Tue, 02 Apr 2013 22:08:05 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1993130-gop-sen-kirk-announces-support-gay-marriage.html 2013-04-02T22:08:05Z http://www.mail.com/news/world/1963312-clinton-joins-dems-backing-gay-marriage.html WASHINGTON (AP) — Hillary Rodham Clinton's embrace of gay marriage Monday signals she may be seriously weighing a 2016 presidential run and trying to avoid the type of late-to-the-party caution that hurt her first bid. Her chief Democratic rivals endorsed same-sex marriage as much as seven years ago, and it's widely popular with Democratic and independent... Mon, 18 Mar 2013 21:34:33 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/world/1963312-clinton-joins-dems-backing-gay-marriage.html 2013-03-18T21:34:33Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1952464-ill-gov-wants-appeal-concealed-carry-ruling.html SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — Gov. Pat Quinn said Wednesday that he wants the Illinois attorney general to appeal a federal court ruling that the state's last-in-the-nation concealed carry ban is unconstitutional, a move that would take it before the U.S. Supreme Court. But Attorney General Lisa Madigan said she prefers to wait and see whether lawmakers craft ... Thu, 14 Mar 2013 00:45:03 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1952464-ill-gov-wants-appeal-concealed-carry-ruling.html 2013-03-14T00:45:03Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1943876-illinois-gop-backs-attempt-to-oust-chairman.html CHICAGO (AP) — The Illinois Republican Party's central committee backed off an attempt to fire party chairman Pat Brady on Saturday, amid concern that ousting him because of his support for gay marriage could damage GOP efforts to appeal to more moderate voters. Brady became a target of some socially conservative members of the party when he spoke out in ... Sun, 10 Mar 2013 01:04:19 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1943876-illinois-gop-backs-attempt-to-oust-chairman.html 2013-03-10T01:04:19Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1941840-gop-chairman-lawmaker-take-heat-gay-marriage.html SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — Two Illinois Republicans are finding out that for all the talk nationally of the GOP becoming more inclusive and appealing to voters by softening stances on social issues, it's difficult to actually follow through. The state Republican Party's central committee will meet Saturday to consider firing chairman Pat Brady, largely beca... Fri, 08 Mar 2013 21:48:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1941840-gop-chairman-lawmaker-take-heat-gay-marriage.html 2013-03-08T21:48:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1908366-ruling-leaves-ill-grappling-with-concealed-carry.html CHICAGO (AP) — A federal appeals court on Friday narrowly rejected Illinois' request to reconsider a ruling that found the state's concealed carry weapons ban unconstitutional, leaving lawmakers in the only state that still prohibits concealed carry more certain than ever they must come up with a new law. The 5-4 ruling by the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Ap... Fri, 22 Feb 2013 23:06:05 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1908366-ruling-leaves-ill-grappling-with-concealed-carry.html 2013-02-22T23:06:05Z http://www.mail.com/news/world/1901178-court-wont-hear-appeal-ex-ill-governor.html WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court won't hear an appeal from ex-Illinois Gov. George Ryan over his corruption conviction. The justices on Tuesday turned away Ryan's appeal without comment. The former governor wanted them to reconsider his conviction based on a 2010 decision saying honest service fraud requires bribery and kickbacks. Ryan said the jury in... Tue, 19 Feb 2013 17:57:05 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/world/1901178-court-wont-hear-appeal-ex-ill-governor.html 2013-02-19T17:57:05Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1893346-illinois-senate-votes-to-legalize-gay-marriage.html SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — The push to allow same-sex marriages in Illinois got its biggest victory to date Thursday with a historic Valentine's Day vote in the state Senate, and supporters expressed confidence that within two weeks President Barack Obama's home state could join nine others that have lifted their gay-marriage bans amid shifting public opinion. Fri, 15 Feb 2013 00:13:27 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1893346-illinois-senate-votes-to-legalize-gay-marriage.html 2013-02-15T00:13:27Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1887144-guns-dominate-race-to-replace-jesse-jackson-jr.html CHICAGO (AP) — After months of drama surrounding Jesse Jackson Jr.'s seat in Congress, the race to replace the congressman with the prominent name has pivoted to a different high-profile topic: guns. Only a short time ago, most of the attention in Illinois' 2nd District was fixed on Jackson himself, specifically his mysterious leave of absence and a feder... Tue, 12 Feb 2013 21:08:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1887144-guns-dominate-race-to-replace-jesse-jackson-jr.html 2013-02-12T21:08:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1856110-ex-ill-governor-returns-prison-release.html CHICAGO (AP) — Former Illinois Gov. George Ryan was released from prison before dawn Wednesday, stopping only briefly at a halfway house before he was allowed to travel home to serve the rest of his sentence for corruption. By midday, the 78-year-old was sitting in the living room of his spacious home in a leafy northern Illinois neighborhood in Kankakee,... Wed, 30 Jan 2013 23:14:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1856110-ex-ill-governor-returns-prison-release.html 2013-01-30T23:14:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1855686-ill-gov-ryan-to-released-prison.html CHICAGO (AP) — George Ryan on Wednesday will become the latest former Illinois governor to go through a prison door. This time, he's headed out. Ryan is being released from a federal prison in Terre Haute, Ind., after serving five-plus years for corruption. He's expected to spend the first few weeks at a halfway house in Chicago and then return to his hom... Wed, 30 Jan 2013 07:18:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1855686-ill-gov-ryan-to-released-prison.html 2013-01-30T07:18:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1854870-ex-ill-gov-ryan-faces-changed-world-prison.html CHICAGO (AP) — When former Illinois Gov. George Ryan steps out of prison on Wednesday after serving five-plus years for corruption, he will return to a life altered by personal tragedy and to a state altered by his and his successor's legacy of corruption. Ryan, who is headed to a halfway house in Chicago, will encounter an Illinois that has enacted refor... Wed, 30 Jan 2013 00:36:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1854870-ex-ill-gov-ryan-faces-changed-world-prison.html 2013-01-30T00:36:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1855148-4-illinois-7-governors-went-to-prison.html Former Illinois Gov. George Ryan will be leaving prison and heading to a halfway house after serving more than five years for corruption. His departure from prison follows a rich, if ignominious, history in Illinois of ex-governors arriving in and departing from prison. Of Illinois' last seven governors, four have ended up going to prison. They are: —Rod ... Tue, 29 Jan 2013 23:15:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1855148-4-illinois-7-governors-went-to-prison.html 2013-01-29T23:15:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1849302-fraud-concerns-linger-ill-license-law.html CHICAGO (AP) — As Illinois becomes the fourth and most populous state to give illegal immigrants permission to drive, nagging concerns remain about whether there are enough safeguards to avoid the identity fraud and other pitfalls other states faced. Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn signed Illinois' measure into law Sunday in Chicago. Backers, including Quinn, C... Sun, 27 Jan 2013 23:57:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1849302-fraud-concerns-linger-ill-license-law.html 2013-01-27T23:57:00Z http://www.mail.com/business/finance/1846590-sp-lowers-illinois-credit-rating-blames-pensions.html CHICAGO (AP) — Illinois' already disastrous financial situation worsened Friday as another credit rating agency downgraded its rating to the worst of any state in the country, blaming lawmakers' ongoing failure to resolve a multibillion-dollar pension crisis. Standard & Poor's rating service said Friday that the rating on the state's general obligation bo... Fri, 25 Jan 2013 22:31:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/finance/1846590-sp-lowers-illinois-credit-rating-blames-pensions.html 2013-01-25T22:31:00Z