If there are really five candidates in this race for state representative on the Southwest Side, why does only one of them have his own campaign sign on his front lawn? Candidate Michele Piszczor, 25, says it’s because the only real candidates in the rac

Gov. Pat Quinn outlined a plan last week to reform the state’s troubled pension systems. In doing so, Quinn appeared to outright reject some pension ideas offered up by House Republican Leader Tom Cross and Senate President John Cullerton. The governor s

Gov. Pat Quinn outlined a plan recently to reform the state's troubled pension systems. In doing so, Quinn appeared to outright reject some pension ideas offered up by House Republican Leader Tom Cross and Senate President John Cullerton. The governor sa

Every House and Senate seat is up for election this year, meaning little legislative business may get done. Republican Rep. Tom Cross, the House minority leader from Oswego, said of the 2012 session: “I think using elections as an excuse is no longer acc

(MCT) — Delivering an overly optimistic State of the State address last week, Gov. urged lawmakers to muster the "political courage" to tackle the tough issues this year. Bravery is likely to be in short supply at the Capitol for much of 2012, however. F

THE ISSUE: Quinn's State of the State address OUR VIEW: Governor is woefully out of touch with fiscal reality Illinois is behind on its bills to the tune of $8.5 billion, a figure expected to grow to $35 billion by 2017. Spending is outpacing income by m

Illinois Republicans wasted no time criticizing Gov. Pat Quinn’s State of the State address. They said Quinn painted a distorted picture of Illinois and didn't talk enough about solutions to the state's fiscal problems. The state cannot afford new progra

BEDWORTH United manager Steve Farmer is overjoyed that young keeper James Martin is making a serious impact during his on-loan spell at Shepshed. The 19-year-old achieved a rare feat for the Leicestershire club on Saturday by keeping a clean sheet, the f

“As the Civic Fed budget projections so painfully illustrate, our state is not living within its means. When you’re in a hole, the first step is to stop digging. “Consequently, we can’t afford to repeal any taxes, nor can we afford to increase any tax cr

Simsbury coach Tom Cross didn't have to think too long about how to deal with his team's five-game losing streak to start the season, his first as a coach. Cross knew exactly what he had to do. He had to do nothing. "You don't make radical changes; you

THE Greenbacks longest away-day of the season ended in heartbreak as an injury-time goal from Luke King condemned them to defeat. King pounced a minute into stoppage time, his shot taking a deflection past Tom Cross from the edge of the box. It was tough

SPRINGFIELD — llinois' 12 percent increase in higher education spending this year isn't going to benefit students. Instead, the additional funding for fiscal 2012 is going into the State Universities Retirement System, or SURS, to address its underfunded

January 26, 2012 (ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill.) (WLS) -- Republican state Rep. Rosemary Mulligan has decided not to seek an 11th term. Mulligan's decision came after house republican leader Tom Cross said he wouldn't back her in the primary. Mulligan tells ou

Good lord, so the GOP will have yet another pointless nominee who will be even more of a blind rubberstamper for the pointless Tom Cross than Mulligan was. The Republican Party in this state is a complete joke. Maybe Rosemary and I should sit down and ha

The Des Plaines Republican on Wednesday told the Daily Herald (http://bit.ly/xWB1vz ) that she plans to finish her current term, which runs until January 2013. Mulligan's decision came after House Republican leader Tom Cross on Friday said he wouldn't ba

[House Speaker Michael Madigan spoke at Elmhurst College yesterday for more than an hour, then held a brief press conference afterward. He almost never does that, so this will be the first of a few posts on his speech.] Madigan is arguably the most power

ELMHURST – Illinois is in for a long haul when it comes to pulling itself out of its financial mess, but lawmakers made a good start by passing a budget for this fiscal year that was $2 billion below the amount requested by Gov. Pat Quinn, House Speaker

(AP) ELMHURST, Ill. Illinois is in for a long haul when it comes to pulling itself out of its financial mess, but lawmakers made a good start by passing a budget for this fiscal year that was $2 billion below the amount requested by Gov. Pat Quinn, House

Back when the reformers demanded state campaign contributions be capped, they said it would limit the dollars flowing into Illinois political funds. But overall, contributions have only barely decreased from four years ago, according to a search of the S