City clerk looks to make a move in Chicago mayor's raceLacking the campaign cash and political celebrity of his opponents, Miguel del Valle treks from one campaign event to the next, trying to win votes in bunches and display his passion for Chicago's working-class neighborhoods.

Ideas range from expanding inspector general's duties to requiring more competitive bidding of contractsThe two-decade run of Richard Daley's administration has kept federal prosecutors busy, so a critical challenge for his replacement will be hitting the reset button on a political culture with a long and not too pretty history of public officials succumbing to the temptations of office.

to share his perspective on politics, recent news in the sexual abuse crisis and even the NFC Championship. ...

Former alderman begins 10-month fraud sentenceFormer Chicago Ald. Edward Vrdolyak reported to a federal prison work camp Wednesday in Terre Haute, Ind., where the legendary Chicago political insider joins former Illinois Gov. George Ryan and some 450 other inmates.

News report revealed political ties to beleaguered assessorAn appointed Cook County ethics official resigned in the wake of a news report revealing his political ties to Assessor Joseph Berrios, who is under an ethics spotlight for hiring his son and sister, officials confirmed Wednesday.

Stabilization program shows signs of success despite slow startTorrey Warship had never owned a home — until the mortgage foreclosure crisis.

Quinn's own bill: He paid $4,468 in 2009, but tab would have approached $7,500 with new rate While most Illinois taxpayers were asleep early Wednesday, their wallets and bank accounts were being lightened by Illinois lawmakers desperate for more revenue to ease a crushing state financial crisis.

Proposed income tax increase scaled back to 66% from 75%— Illinois Democrats are scaling back a major income tax increase as they search for votes in a frantic, last-ditch effort to deal with the state's crippling budget crisis.

President Barack Obama traded one Chicagoan for another as the White House chief of staff Thursday, selecting mayoral brother William Daley and a background deep in business and political experience to succeed mayoral contender Rahm Emanuel.

Board accuses president of trying to seize control of districtFollowing the drowning of a Calumet Township trustee last summer during an after-hours party at a Blue Island Park District pool, the park board is disintegrating into political turmoil, with commissioners accusing the president of trying to wrest control of the district.

'Ain't no stopping us now,' says former rival, U.S. Rep. Danny DavisAfrican-American political leaders rallied around former U.S. Sen. Carol Moseley Braun on Saturday as a unity candidate best qualified to be Chicago mayor, capping a holiday week of private negotiations that left her the only major black politician in the campaign.

26-year-old was rising political starLast Thursday night was Eric Fatla's chance to have an elegant meal with his father, Edward.

In a few hours, Chicago's mayoral race is reshapedElection authorities and political reality reshaped the Chicago mayor's race in a whirlwind four hours Thursday, as Rahm Emanuel took a major step toward securing a spot on the ballot and embattled state Sen. James Meeks dropped out.

McHenry County State's Attorney Louis Bianchi has been accused of using county workers for political workSpecial prosecutors have named but not charged four people as alleged conspirators with McHenry County State's Attorney Louis Bianchi.

Statehouse Democrats have upper hand in redrawing political bordersIllinois will lose one of its 19 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives in 2013, federal officials said Tuesday, kicking off a struggle to redraw the state's political boundaries that will be dominated by Democrats who already control state government.

More than 100 people were harmed by illegal political favoritism in hiring, report saysA federal watchdog on Wednesday awarded nearly $556,000 to job applicants and workers harmed by illegal political favoritism in hiring at the Cook County Forest Preserve District.

Rahm Emanuel kept his famously sharp political tongue in check for more than 11 hours Tuesday as a phalanx of indignant activists and a seasoned election attorney poked and prodded him during a hearing on whether he is eligible to run for mayor of Chicago.

Political rhetoric fills his sermons, but IRS rules prohibit campaign activity by churchesPacing as he dabbed his sweaty face with a towel, the Rev. James T. Meeks fired up his large crowd with an energetic rant about City Hall's shortcomings — poor garbage pickup, red-light cameras, underperforming public schools.

Residency hearing set to begin Tuesday; 25 people will get chance to question himRahm Emanuel is known for playing political hardball, winning a seat in Congress and dealing with the pressures of being White House chief of staff, but even he could have his hands full next week when he's expected to face hours of questioning at a hearing on whether he's eligible to run for Chicago mayor.

But new County Board president says it's 'inappropriate' to put relatives on public payrollCook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle made it clear Thursday that she and Assessor Joseph Berrios remain political allies, even if she's not keen about him putting relatives on the public payroll.

Campaigns of both del Valle, Braun reportedly have been approached, but said noBehind the scenes of Chicago's mayor race, Rahm Emanuel's political enemies are talking about passing the hat to cover the cost of trying to bounce him off the ballot.

Invalidating petition signatures could keep Emanuel tenant off mayoral ballotState police are looking into allegations that nominating petitions for five political candidates, including four Chicago mayoral contenders, were fraudulently notarized, a spokeswoman for Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White said Friday.

Mayor Richard Daley's infamous "midnight raid" on Meigs Field, when city backhoes carved giant X's into the runway of the tiny lakefront airport, was one of his defining acts. Now, as Daley prepares to exit the political stage, the former airstrip could become one of his defining legacies — a people-friendly showcase of 21st-century ecology.

Top name-gatherer said to be ex-con who also worked for Meeks, others listed as circulators deny role, one says she was hired by GOP operativeRahm Emanuel's renter-turned-political-rival faced questions Monday about who collected thousands of signatures he submitted to get on the ballot for mayor after his top petition passer was identified as a homeless man with a long criminal history.

Official challenge to Emanuel's candidacy is expected by week's endThere can be no finer spectacle than watching our political gladiators in the Chicago mayoral arena.

Inadequate contributions, underperforming investments have also jeopardized the retirement of tens of thousands of city workers and put taxpayers on the hook for billions of dollarsChicago's public pension funds are teetering on the brink of insolvency in large part because city officials and union leaders repeatedly exploited the system, draining away billions of dollars in the last decade to ser...

Closing of public dental clinics has led to a health crisis.Thousands of residents are going without dental treatment or forced to wait months for routine treatment with just four dental clinics and the office at Stroger Hospital to serve more than 1.4 million residents on public aid.

The Crisis Center for South Suburbia will be able to help more women and children get back on their feet with a grant from the U.S. Department of Justice that will allow it to nearly double its transitional housing program.

Faced with budget crisis, lawmakers at forum say they may roll back transit program Offering little hope of new funding for buses and trains in the Chicago region, the state's top legislative leaders from both parties agreed Monday on one point — free rides for senior citizens must be curtailed.

Rutherford, Kelly locked in treasurer raceDemocratic Attorney General Lisa Madigan and Secretary of State Jesse White easily kept their jobs Tuesday, while Republican Judy Baar Topinka won her bid in a political comeback in the state comptroller's race.