Chief opens Illinois 'supermax' prison to show reforms

TAMMS -- Although he's confined to his cell for all but about an hour on most days, Steven Wuebbels doesn't mind being isolated at Illinois' lone "supermax" prison -- a place human rights activists consider inhumane.

New Nov 20, 2009 | 2:30 pm | Loading…

• Related: 'Dangerous' man gets 30 years for escape try at Pontiac prison
• Related: State outlines Tamms reforms

GOP lawmakers who heard Burris testimony react

SPRINGFIELD -- Republicans who heard U.S. Sen. Roland Burris' testimony first-hand said Friday they agree with the Senate decision to admonish him.

Nov 20, 2009 | 1:45 pm | Loading…

Illinois launches online hospital report cards

SPRINGFIELD -- Illinois has launched an online tool consumers can use to find an unprecedented amount of information on hospitals and surgical centers.

Nov 20, 2009 | 7:15 am | Loading…

• Related: Illinois Health Care Report Card Web site

Daley: Saddened at end of Winfrey show in Chicago

Chicago Mayor Richard Daley says Oprah Winfrey has been a "tremendous asset" to Chicago and he's saddened to hear her show will end.

Nov 20, 2009 | 3:10 pm | Loading…

Winfrey: Prayer, careful thought influenced exit

Holding back tears, Oprah Winfrey told her studio audience Friday that she would end her show in 2011 after a quarter-century on the air, saying prayer and careful thought led her to her decision.

Nov 20, 2009 | 3:05 pm | Loading…

'La Familia' drug cartel members indicted

A federal grand jury has indicted 15 alleged members of the La Familia Michoacana (MEE'-chu-a-kah-nah), a violence-prone Mexican cartel that has flooded American cities with millions of dollars worth of drugs.

Nov 20, 2009 | 2:50 pm | Loading…

Fa-la-la felony? Sneaky decorator escapes charges

The home-invading Christmas elf has been identified, and it turns out to be a teenage prankster.

Nov 20, 2009 | 2:00 pm | Loading…

Questions for Quinn over Thomson prison

Gov. Pat Quinn says he'll review a letter he received from Illinois Republicans about a possible deal to sell a state prison to the federal government to house Guantanamo Bay detainees.

Nov 20, 2009 | 1:55 pm | Loading…

Ill. prisons chief: Questioned supermax 'evolving'

The new chief of Illinois' prison system says there's a place for the super maximum-security prison in deep southern Illinois' Alexander County.

Nov 20, 2009 | 12:40 pm | Loading…

Ethics committee: No punishment for Burris

The Senate ethics committee on Friday admonished Sen. Roland Burris, D-Ill., for making "inconsistent, misleading or incomplete" statements about the circumstances surrounding his appointment to the seat once held by Barack Obama. The committee recommended no action beyond the letter.

Nov 20, 2009 | 12:10 pm | Loading…

Hynes says more statistics needed to combat crime

A leading Democratic candidate for Illinois governor says his proposal for addressing crime statewide includes better tracking of statistics and coordination between agencies.

Nov 20, 2009 | 11:55 am | Loading…

Asian carp may have breached electronic barrier

TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. -- Federal officials say the despised Asian carp may have breached an electronic barrier designed to prevent it from invading the Great Lakes and jeopardizing their $7 billion sport fishery.

Nov 20, 2009 | 11:45 am | Loading…

Quinn calls Winfrey a 'force of nature'

Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn says he hopes Oprah Winfrey doesn't leave Chicago.

Nov 20, 2009 | 11:45 am | Loading…

Company closing southern Ill. coal mine

An underground southern Illinois coal mine will close by the end of the year.

Nov 20, 2009 | 11:00 am | Loading…

3 plead guilty in Ill. in dogfighting sweep

Sentencing will be in March for three Illinoisans swept up in the largest dogfighting raid in U.S. history.

Nov 20, 2009 | 8:30 am | Loading…

Police: 2 found dead in house fire had been shot

Authorities say two women found dead in a burning house in the far southern Illinois town of Cairo had been fatally shot.

Nov 20, 2009 | 8:10 am | Loading…

Ringleader in terrorism plot to be sentenced

The ringleader of a group of men convicted of plotting to destroy Chicago's Sears Tower and bomb FBI offices is scheduled to be sentenced.

Nov 20, 2009 | 4:45 am | Loading…

Knox College makes good Fulbright showing

A western Illinois college is racking up Fulbright Scholar grants.

Nov 20, 2009 | 3:05 am | Loading…

UIC names new head of economics department

The University of Illinois at Chicago has named a new head of the economics department.

Nov 20, 2009 | 3:05 am | Loading…

Illinois motorists told to prepare as winter nears

Illinois motorists have been urged to start getting ready for winter driving.

Nov 20, 2009 | 3:05 am | Loading…

U.S. Rep. Halvorson questions selling Thomson prison

SPRINGFIELD — Count Democratic U.S. Rep. Debbie Halvorson among skeptics of a plan to sell the state’s unused prison in Thomson to the federal government.

Nov 19, 2009 | 6:40 pm | Loading…

• Related: Thomson letter to Gov. Quinn
• Related: Quinn, Hynes trade barbs during debates
• Related: Fact check: Guantanamo detainees and U.S. prisons
• Related: Quinn: Thomson prison deal 'probably' will happen

Quinn signs law to improve safety of students on buses

SPRINGFIELD — Illinois has a new law that officials say will improve the safety of students riding on school buses, and Unit 5 bus drivers already follow the rules.

Nov 19, 2009 | 9:05 pm | Loading…

Former prep analyst indicted in bank robberies

A federal grand jury in Peoria has once again indicted a former prep basketball talent analyst on bank robbery charges.

Nov 19, 2009 | 9:05 pm | Loading…

63-year-old baby sitter convicted of sexual abuse

A 63-year-old Aurora man faces as long as 37 years in prison after being found guilty of sexually assaulting a child he was baby sitting.

Nov 19, 2009 | 8:50 pm | Loading…

VFW post commander dies of robbery injuries

Authorities say the commander of a VFW post in Chicago's southern suburbs has died of injuries suffered when he was beaten and robbed while depositing money from a veterans' fundraiser.

Nov 19, 2009 | 8:20 pm | Loading…

2 Cook County investigators fired

Cook County State's Attorney Anita Alvarez has fired two investigators who let convicted robber Robert Maday escape earlier this fall.

Nov 19, 2009 | 8:05 pm | Loading…

Bears' Briggs: Pin blame for struggles on players

The way the Bears are struggling, Pro Bowl linebacker Lance Briggs can understand why fans around Chicago would have their doubts.

Nov 19, 2009 | 6:50 pm | Loading…

Defendants in hidden child case enter pleas

Three defendants allegedly involved in a child abduction case have entered not guilty pleas to that related charges.

Nov 19, 2009 | 5:30 pm | Loading…

Group hears how mentally ill fare in nursing homes

Mentally ill residents of Illinois nursing homes often don't know their rights and some are confined against their will, a lawyer with 35 years' experience in mental health law told a state task force Thursday.

Nov 19, 2009 | 5:05 pm | Loading…