SPRINGFIELD -- The Illinois House passed a major expansion of gambling on Wednesday, possibly with enough votes to override a veto by Gov. Pat Quinn. Quinn quickly objected to the proposal anyway.

SPRINGFIELD -- The city of Springfield could lose anywhere from $325,000 to $350,000 if Illinois lawmakers freeze local governments' share of state income tax revenue, Mayor Mike Houston said Wednesday.

The official word last weekend was that everyone was of like mind when 14 Republican county chairmen chose RODNEY DAVIS as the party’s candidate for the U.S. House in the new 13th Congressional District.

SPRINGFIELD -- A bill to reduce the number of regional school superintendents from 44 to 35 was unanimously approved by a House committee Tuesday, leaving only one more step before the bill goes to the governor's desk. The bill now moves to the full House for a vote.

SPRINGFIELD -- The Illinois House voted 71-45 Tuesday to allow civilians to make audio recordings of police officers exercising their public duties in public places.

SPRINGFIELD -- The state is making temporary deals with three state employee health insurance providers until officials can determine which carriers should receive longer-term HMO contracts.

SPRINGFIELD -- Legislation restructuring Illinois’ Medicaid system was put on ice Tuesday as legislative leaders attempted to figure out what pieces of the package to pass first and whether to tax tobacco products other than cigarettes.

SPRINGFIELD -- A budget plan drawn up by Illinois Senate Democrats, which calls for closure of the Jacksonville Developmental Center and other state facilities, was approved by a Senate committee Monday.

SPRINGFIELD -- Rebuffing talk of new legislation that would expand gambling in Illinois, Gov. Pat Quinn urged the legislature Monday to pass bills to restructure the state’s Medicaid and pension programs, two of the largest drains on Illinois’ budget.

SPRINGFIELD -- Gov. Pat Quinn said Monday that he will sign a bill abolishing legislators’ century-old authority to give tuition waivers to students to attend public colleges and universities in Illinois.

SPRINGFIELD -- Gov. Pat Quinn’s proposal to restructure state pensions has gotten a lot of attention since he introduced it in April, but it’s not the only plan on the table. Two University of Illinois professors have suggested an approach they believe would save the state half the money it contributes to the State Universities Retirement System for current employees.

SPRINGFIELD -- Two key state lawmakers involved in gambling legislation last week flatly predicted the legislature will vote on an expansion bill before the end of the month.

A little bit of recent Springfield political history made it into the June edition of Vanity Fair magazine.

SPRINGFIELD -- A federal appeals court Thursday sided with Gov. Pat Quinn over pay raises the Quinn administration canceled for thousands of union workers.

SPRINGFIELD -- llinois has received a $32.8 million federal grant to help establish a statewide health insurance exchange, but it’s unclear how the money will be used.

SPRINGFIELD -- A revised plan to tax adult clubs to benefit rape crisis centers sailed out of an Illinois Senate committee Wednesday.

SPRINGFIELD -- A new study warns that state government’s costs could actually rise if Illinois reduces Medicaid funding for home care services in order to balance next year’s budget.

One of the reasons state Sen. LARRY BOMKE, R-Springfield, didn’t seek a new term was because his insurance agency had merged with a regional firm that could handle larger enterprises.

SPRINGFIELD -- Lawmakers scrounged up some money on Wednesday so low-income parents in Illinois can keep subsidized child care, but Republicans said the legislation became necessary because Gov. Pat Quinn has mismanaged the state budget.

SPRINGFIELD -- An Illinois House Republican staffer has been punished for performing political activities on state time.