Hannah Meisel

Congresswoman Tammy Duckworth says she has a plan to address criminal justice reform in her campaign for U.S. Senate...and a solution for relations between police and people of color. But it's not the main focus for the Democrat. 

Duckworth stopped into a local coffee shop in Champaign for a meet and greet, where she answered voter questions.

But despite police killings in Chicago and elsewhere dominating the headlines this week, race relations didn't come up once in the half-an-hour informal Q&A.

A former prosecutor in the Cook County State's Attorney's office says it took far too long to investigate the shooting death of Chicago teen Laquan McDonald at the hands of a white police officer. 

That prosecutor happens to be running for U.S. Senate.

Democrat Andrea Zopp is praising Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel's decision to fire police superintendent Garry McCarthy, one week after the city charged the officer who shot McDonald 16 times and released the dashcam video of the shooting.

Republicans in Illinois' Congressional delegation are on board with Governor Bruce Rauner's move to temporarily close the state's borders to Syrian refugees in the wake of the terrorist attacks in Paris. 

The state's eight Republican House members are also condemning President Obama's plan to let in 10,000 refugees from that country this year.

Illinois is one of 24 states closing its borders to Syrian refugees in wake of the terrorist attacks in France last Friday. It's unclear whether this move is legal under federal law.

In a statement, Gov. Bruce Rauner announced the state will "temporarily suspend" accepting Syrian refugees, citing safety and security concerns after the Islamic State group killed and injured hundreds of people in the Paris attacks.

But U.S. State Department spokesman Mark Toner says the agency's lawyers don't know yet if states can usurp federal immigration law and close its borders.

The Illinois economy continues to grow … but at a slower rate than a few months ago. That’s according to a monthly economic report from the University of Illinois.

The U of I Flash Index fell to 105.8 in October from 106 in September. Though any number over 100 indicates growth in the state's economy, this is the third month of decline for the index.

The report's author Fred Giertz says the slower growth is a reflection of a bigger global trend -- including slowdowns in Europe and China.

Mike Madigan is running for the Illinois General Assembly.

No, the other one.

Urbana businessman and city council member Mike Madigan is running for the 52nd state senate district, he announced Monday in Champaign.

Madigan is the owner of Hickory River restaurants in Urbana, Peoria, Springfield and Decatur and has served on the city council since May 2013. He's the only Republican in that heavily Democratic body.

While he may have the name in common with longtime Democratic House Speaker Madigan, this Madigan says the similarities pretty much end there.

Financial trouble in Illinois's biggest city has many worried about Chicago's potential ripple effects on the state with money problems of its own. Gov. Bruce Rauner sees an opportunity in Chicago's fiscal mess.

For all the trouble Illinois is in, Chicago is in deeper. The city's bonds are considered "junk" by the country’s leading ratings agencies.

The school system has closed over 50 facilities and laid off hundreds over the past few years, and the mayor last month proposed a $600 million property tax hike just to pay for its police and fire pensions.

A bigger portion of older people's income could be going to healthcare costs next year.

This change is based on something seemingly unrelated: Low gas prices.

Each year, the federal government releases what's called a "consumer price index," that lays out the amount of inflation observed in the U.S. economy.

Social Security and other government beneficiaries will receive a cost of living increase tied to inflation. But economists this year predict there will be no cost of living adjustment, known as a COLA, because gas prices have been so low.

The llinois Department of Transportation may be wrapping up its busy construction season, but the upcoming winter will mean more repairs for road crews to work on next summer. But that depends on getting a state budget in place first.

A lot of money for road construction comes from a separate fund than what's being debated in Springfield right now in the months-long budget stalemate. But some money comes from the same pot of cash that many human services and other state programs are vying for.

It's been nine months since Illinois' income tax rate dropped when a temporary tax hike rolled back on January first. And though the state is operating without a budget, Illinois is already spending over 90 percent of what it spent last year...which has already led to a cash shortage.

It's happened before: When the state's accounts reach a $0 balance, the computer system responsible for paying for programs, pay and services stops writing checks.

Leaders of several state universities and community colleges are sounding the alarm as they begin month three of receiving no money from Illinois. 

State support for Illinois’s 12 public universities and its 49 community colleges is the largest part of the state government that isn’t being funded during Springfield’s budget impasse.

While the state’s bigger schools, like the University of Illinois, are able to truck along without much impact on students, the situation at Eastern Illinois University is much more dire, officials say.

Illinois public colleges and universities have become collateral damage in the state’s months-long budget impasse, fueled by political stalemate between Illinois’ Republican Governor Bruce Rauner and the democratically-controlled General Assembly.

Rauner says he’s willing to consider more state revenue to pay for support to items like public colleges and universities, but only if lawmakers pass his pro-business, union-weakening “Turnaround Agenda” first.

Illinois has gone more than three months without a budget, but state government is anything but shut down.

Court orders and existing law made it possible for the largest chunks of the state's financial obligations to be paid ... except for the state's 12 public colleges and universities. That includes the University of Illinois, where Governor Bruce Rauner dedicated on Friday the opening of a veteran’s center on the school's Urbana campus.

Illinois will be among the first states to implement a savings program for the lifelong care of people with disabilities. The financial planning tool is being promoted at a time when state-funded services for those with disabilities are not being paid.

The ABLE Act, which stands for Achieving a Better Life Experience, is federally-inspired legislation, signed into law earlier this year. The program is similar to 529 college savings plans, which have certain tax exemptions.

The U.S. Secretary of Agriculture says Illinois has a big role to play in the fight for global food security.

Secretary Tom Vilsack told University of Illinois students yesterday it will fall on their shoulders to figure out a way to increase food production in the next 35 years, as much as it increased in the last 10,000 years.

In his speech at the U of I Urbana campus, Vilsack said Illinois’s top crop plays an integral role in global trade.

The University of Illinois will perform background checks on every new hire, beginning in October.

The school's board of trustees voted to approve the policy yesterday at its meeting in Urbana.

Board member Pat Fitzgerald, a former federal prosecutor, says the background checks aren't meant to preclude applicants with a criminal record.

It’s been nearly a week since Phyllis Wise abruptly stepped down as chancellor of the University of Illinois’ Urbana campus. She cited "external issues" that have “distracted us from the important tasks at hand.”

The day after Wise resigned, the U of I released hundreds of emails in response to Freedom of Information requests. Many of the emails were sent to and from Wise's personal email accounts. They revealed that she also encouraged others to use their private emails, in an effort to skirt FOIA law.

UPDATE: University of Illinois officials named Barbara Wilson as interim chancellor at the University of Illinois. A University Trustees Committee rejected the bonus pay for the departing Wise Wednesday. The University Of Illinois will dismiss Wise rather than accept her resignation. However, she is still welcome to teach at the school.

It’s been a tumultuous year for Wise and the Urbana campus. The year included lawsuits involving the non-employment of controversial professor Steven Salaita and allegations of abuse in three sports programs.

Former Illinois Gov. Jim Edgar has some advice for the man currently in the job – fellow Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner. Edgar says it might be time for Rauner to blink.

After more than five weeks working without a budget, Illinois leaders don't seem close to compromise. The two main players -- Rauner and Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigan -- both say they could work together to pass a budget, but …

Rauner says he won't compromise his five pro-business initiatives in his "Turnaround Agenda." Madigan, on the other hand, calls Rauner's positions "extreme."

Without a budget agreement in Springfield, a possible government shutdown gets closer. And for already cash-strapped schools, it's not just state money that's at stake, but federal money, too.

Schools have three major sources of funding: Local property taxes, state money and federal dollars. Depending on how wealthy or poor an area is, those three sources vary in weight.

But schools in high-poverty areas tend to need extra educational mediation...that's where federal money comes in.

The University of Illinois will be able to continue operating, even in the case of a possible state government shutdown. 

Governor Rauner and Democratic leaders in the General Assembly are engaged in a budgetary stalemate. With 20 days left until the next fiscal year, the state’s comptroller says her office could cease payments come July 1.

But U of I spokesman Tom Hardy says the university and its employees would not be immediately affected.

Governor Rauner spent most of the past four months traveling around Illinois, touting his so-called "Turnaround Agenda."

Some of his requests, like allowing localities to create right-to-work zones, faced an uphill battle from the beginning. But other items, like term limits, have been popular with voters since the governor ran on them last year.

Now Democrats, who control the legislature, refuse to bring a term limit proposal to a vote. They say it's a distraction from passing a state budget before the weekend's deadline.

Illinois lawmakers are urging an increase in safety programs for rail operators. That’s despite the threat of state funding cuts to railroads.

A bipartisan pair of legislators say safety training is too important to be squeezed out of railway budgets, no matter what they're given by the state. They brought in Lou Jogmen, with the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police, who says the state is especially at risk.

"Illinois remains in the higher realm of accidents and fatalities,” Logmen said. “Unfortunately, people aren't paying attention."

Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner’s approval rating has taken a bit of a dip in the two months he’s been in office. That’s according to several recent surveys.

The governor's current rating sits around 36 percent, which is a full 20 points behind Democrats like President Barack Obama or Illinois Senator Dick Durbin.

But Rauner says he's not worried.