John J Cullerton

A year after Emil Jones Jr. retired from the Illinois Senate in 2008, his annual pension jumped by more than 50 percent to $122,334 — far more than he ever earned as Senate president. Jones' good fortune comes courtesy of legislation he sponsored...

The son of Illinois Senate President John Cullerton was arrested and charged with assault after he allegedly threatened a bouncer in a Wicker Park bar, police said. Garritt M. Cullerton, 28, was at the Innjoy bar in the 2000 block of West Division Street...

Illinois Republicans used the state’s most powerful Democrat, House Speaker Michael Madigan, as a rally point during Saturday's party convention, blaming him for the state's ills while hailing a Downstate lawmaker’s tirade against him that...

The last few weeks showcased the Illinois General Assembly at its best and worst. Lawmakers plotted a course — and summoned the courage — to rescue Medicaid. They began the process of closing underused state institutions, passed a bill to...

A proposal to create an inspector general for the suburbs drew skeptical reactions Monday, as officeholders and taxpayer watchdogs questioned how the position would work and whether it’s necessary. But the idea got a warm reception from Gov. Pat...

Illinois' pension system was in precarious enough shape in 1994 that Democrats and Republicans came together to solve a crisis threatening the state's financial future. The agreement they forged was supposed to take politics out of pension funding by...

When Rahm Emanuel was a first-time candidate for Congress, Greg Goldner was behind him, quietly marshaling the patronage troops that helped get him elected. When Emanuel ran for mayor, Goldner was there again, doling out campaign cash to elect Emanuel-...

Illinois voters this fall will be asked whether to make it tougher for state and local governments to sweeten public employee pensions under a proposal lawmakers approved today. The proposed amendment to the Illinois Constitution goes directly to the...

The Illinois Senate today overwhelmingly approved the elimination of a century-old legislative scholarship program that has come under federal investigation and long been abused by politicians who passed out the tuition waivers to relatives and the...

— Illinois voters this fall will be asked whether to make it tougher for state and local governments to sweeten public employee pensions under a measure lawmakers approved Thursday. The proposed amendment to the Illinois Constitution now goes on...

Two years into his reign as Chicago's longest-serving mayor, Richard M. Daley took advantage of the state's convoluted pension system to significantly increase his potential payout while saving $400,000 in contributions, a Tribune/WGN-TV investigation has...

Lawmakers who want to end an often-abused legislative scholarship program were hopeful for a breakthrough after a top leader in the Illinois Senate got on board today. Senate President John Cullerton, D-Chicago changed his position from wanting to reform...