News

An Illinois law passed last January could let up to half-a-million undocumented immigrants drive legally for the first time. But many of them are having a hard time signing up for the license. And, now, a Chicago-area sheriff says the state is rolling out the program too slowly.

Employee councils from NIU co-hosted a forum Wednesday, which included several area state lawmakers. The event was viewed as an opportunity for NIU faculty to offer their thoughts as the General Assembly continues to explore how to fix Illinois' troubled pension system.

Governor Pat Quinn took many pens in hand this afternoon and signed the same-sex marriage bill into law. The signing ceremony was held at the University of Illinois - Chicago Forum, on a desk brought up from Springfield. That desk is said to have been used by President Abraham Lincoln to write his first inaugural address. 

Illinois is falling behind its goals when it comes to solar energy on rooftops. Observers say wording in a state law is not helping.

The bank JPMorgan Chase will pay Illinois' pension funds $100 million under a national settlement. The payment is a result of the bank's misconduct leading up to the Great Recession.

Like a lot of investors in the last decade, Illinois' pension funds had a good chunk of change in mortgage-backed securities. Once the housing market collapsed and homeowners began defaulting, the value of those securities collapsed, too.

The resulting worldwide recession was a significant factor in leaving Illinois with the worst-funded pension system in the country.