Emanuel, ally highlight need for overhaulOne of Mayor Rahm Emanuel's top aides privately briefed aldermen on the city's pension woes Wednesday as the mayor's closest City Council ally prepared for hearings that will put city retirement fund officials in the hot seat.

New congressional campaign commercial shows her pedaling bike with handsDemocrat Tammy Duckworth released a new television ad Wednesday touting her record of service, prompting quick criticism from Republican Rep. Joe Walsh, who previously had accused the challenger of exploiting her military career for political gain.

Student from Texas receives tuition waiver from 1 of 3 Chicago Democrats under scrutiny for programEven as the troubled legislative scholarship program was on its last legs, state lawmakers continued to make questionable choices and show possible political favoritism in awarding the free college tuition, a Tribune analysis found.

'Rahm and I have not agreed on every issue or on a lot of issues, but Mayor Emanuel is right today in saying that this teachers' union strike is unnecessary and wrong,' said Rep. Paul Ryan, the GOP's vice presidential candidateThe effects of the Chicago Public Schools strike go far beyond the country's third-largest district, injecting new energy into the national debate over the role of public em...

Mayor, union president have much to lose (or gain) if walkout happens MondayIf Chicago teachers go on strike Monday, the walkout would set up a political minefield for both Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Chicago Teachers Union President Karen Lewis, adding the explosive element of a blame game to contract negotiations that already are highly combustible.

Political conventions stage for 'real people' who want your voteHello. My name is Mary. Allow me to humanize myself.

First two days at the convention have been a disaster of biblical proportions as far as political messaging.When President Barack Obama asked stoners Harold & Kumar to help with his message, the inevitable was bound to happen.

Jury finds that special operations team was disbanded for backing Tom Dart's opponent in 2006A federal jury Tuesday awarded a combined $1.6 million in damages to 21 Cook County correctional officers after finding the sheriff's office retaliated against them for backing an opponent in 2006 when Sheriff Tom Dart first won election.

Adults' credibility with kids crumbles as Obama, Romney camps trade liesDishonesty trickles down.

Also: Speaker responds to Republican 'Fire Madigan' campaign— As Illinois delegates gather each morning for breakfast to hear from political motivational speakers and to get a grab bag of tchotchkes, they're also given something else: a set of talking points to use in case they get asked questions by reporters.

County Board president also won't rule out property tax hikeAs her political team pushes the notion of a Democratic primary bid for governor, Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle has been saying things that wouldn't seem likely to broaden her statewide appeal.

North Side funeral director one of the few in 1980s to provide services for AIDS victimsDuring the mid-1980s, when AIDS was emerging as a major health crisis, many funeral homes were reluctant to take victims of the disease.

Nonprofit expands breast cancer servicesPolitical scandals don't always mean a revenue boost for nonprofits, but in the case of Planned Parenthood, it's been the one silver lining.

Mission to bring Fort Dearborn Massacre bronze out of storage means taking on political correctness brigadeYou can find almost everything on Craigslist, including evidence of a professor's quixotic battle against politically correct history along the Chicago Way:

The man who woke up Blagojevich says city's corrupt behavior 'hasn't modified significantly'With Chicago FBI chief Rob Grant retiring after 29 years with the bureau — after all those high-profile political corruption and Outfit cases — I had to ask him to tell the story.

A South Side alderman is the latest Chicago political insider to join a firm led by a onetime top aide to former Mayor Richard Daley.

When lawmakers left the Statehouse at the end of May, the problem of fixing the nation's most underfunded state public employee pension system was left unresolved amid myriad political concerns and divides.

Years away from re-election effortMayor Rahm Emanuel raised more than $130,000 in campaign contributions in recent months, fueling an ongoing polling and opinion research effort run by his top political consultants.

Liberty Justice Center points to exemption of political leaders from 2009 lawThe legal arm of the conservative Illinois Policy Institute has filed a federal lawsuit asking that Rod Blagojevich-inspired campaign contribution limits be declared unconstitutional because donations from political leaders are not regulated in general elections.

Florida pathologist says he's aware of the political pressure he will faceA Florida pathologist said Tuesday he knows what he's getting into as he takes over the politically charged position of running the troubled Cook County morgue.

As committee chairman, Moore kills discussion on elected boardFor two decades, Far North Side Ald. Joe Moore railed against the city's political system, especially at the guy who occupied the mayor's office.

She fled India 15 years ago and had lived under threat of deportation ever sinceFor 15 years, Aruna Vallabhaneni lived under the threat that she may be forced to return home to an abusive marriage.

Colorado massacre quickly becomes politicalHow long does it take for a major American television news network to politicize mass murder and blame conservatives for the blood of innocents?

Stuart Levine stood before a federal judge Thursday in an ill-fitting suit eight years after FBI agents knocked on his door with news that they had undercover recordings and other evidence of his massive criminal scheming with top Illinois officials.

Political science professor taught at the University of Chicago for more than 40 yearsJoseph Cropsey was a leading political scientist at the University of Chicago for more than 40 years and an adherent of Leo Strauss, another of the Hyde Park institution's famed political theorists.

Congressman's long-term prospects have taken a tumble since Blagojevich's arrest in 2008Until Rod Blagojevich's arrest on corruption charges nearly four years ago, U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. was the ever-aggressive politician, a man constantly on the move trying to raise his profile and build a family political dynasty.

Congressman's long-term prospects have taken a tumble since Blagojevich's arrest in 2008Until Rod Blagojevich's arrest on corruption charges nearly four years ago, U.S. Rep.Jesse Jackson Jr. was the ever-aggressive politician, a man constantly on the move trying to raise his profile and build a family political dynasty.

29-year-old Evanston native died after collapsing at campaign HQAlex Okrent could see the November finish line to his nearly decadelong journey with Barack Obama and was thinking about his next move.

Contribution limits will be lifted once big money from super PACs flows into a contest— Gov. Pat Quinn signed a bill Friday that lifts the state's campaign contribution limits to candidates once big money starts flowing into a state or local political contest, a move that one watchdog group decried as effectively ending limits in any major race.

Prosecutors allege protesters arrested in Bridgeport bust secretly recorded planning use of Molotov cocktails on high-profile targets in ChicagoProsecutors confirmed for the first time Monday that three NATO protesters were caught on secret recordings as they allegedly plotted to use Molotov cocktails to blow up political targets during the recent summit in Chicago.