450 miles. That's the distance Marnie Mamminga's family traveled every summer from suburban Chicago to their cabin in northwest Wisconsin.

Mamminga recalls the cabin, and the long journey it took to get there, in her latest book Return to Wake Robin: One Cabin in the Heyday of Northwoods Resorts.

In the 1950s, America's Interstate highways weren't completed, so Illinois families headed "Up North" drove rural roads for much of the trip.

Illinois residents waiting for the right to carry a weapon in public will have to wait a bit longer.  A request to delay a federal deadline has been approved.

The end of May brought several political developments (and non-developments) at the Illinois capital and in northern Illinois.

Rockford Register Star columnist, Chuck Sweeny, is a longtime observer of state and regional politics. He found the General Assembly's spring session amusing ("We had a legislative session?"), but also frustrating.

It's no secret that Illinois has one of the worst funded pension systems in the country. But the fund that covers municipal workers is in better shape.

Governor Pat Quinn is calling for a meeting today with legislative leaders to discuss Illinois' pension crisis. The move comes after a downgrade of the state's bond rating.

Illinois residents in Winnebago and Whiteside counties are now eligible to register for federal disaster assistance.

According to a release from FEMA, federal assistance in Illinois has reached more than $68 million, distributed among 24,000 individuals and households, since May 10.

The latest summary of federal assistance to individuals and households that suffered losses due to the severe storms and flooding between April 16 and May 5 includes:

Gay rights activists praised Rep. Greg Harris in 2011 for helping pass Illinois' civil unions law.  Some of those same activists are now criticizing him for how he's handled a measure to legalize same sex marriage.

Harris was tearful when he announced just before the House adjourned its spring session that there would be no vote because he didn't believe it could pass.

But immediately after, political director of the Civil Rights Agenda, Rick Garcia, put the blame squarely on Harris.

Illinois Republicans have a new state party chairman.  Longtime political operative and lobbyist Jack Dorgan was chosen at a state central committee meeting.  Dorgan beat out a field of 6 other hopefuls,  some who said the party is broken.  Dorgan has a different view:

"Well the party's not broke.  We've had some growing pains right now.  We're ready. We're united and we’re going to move forward and show people there is a two party system." -Jack Dorgan

Dorgan has worked on numerous campaigns over 30 years.