Latest local news, weather and high school sports for Tri-State area

Tuesday, May 14, 2013  Pentagon poised to trim number of civilian furlough days, expand pool of exempt workers

Thursday, May 09, 2013  Debate continues over solution to Illinois pension crisis.

Friday, May 03, 2013  The Illinois House of Representatives has approved a massive overhaul of state pensions. It's the first time the House has passed such a plan after more than a year of negotiating and many failed attempts over the years.

Friday, April 05, 2013  Official: Obama's budget proposes cuts to Social Security in attempt to compromise with GOP

Friday, March 29, 2013  Lawmakers in Illinois are in the hot seat Friday morning.

Thursday, March 07, 2013  Efforts to avoid government shutdown move to Senate as Obama seeks talks on bigger budget deal

Monday, February 25, 2013  Illinois' largest public employees' union says a strike is a real possibility.

Tuesday, January 22, 2013  Obama and his aides approached the inaugural speech with a belief that the president had replenished his political strength with his re-election and with his end-of-year deal with Republicans that raised upper-income tax rates on some of the wealthiest Americans.

Monday, January 14, 2013  Some ask why lawmakers aren't moving forward, and why taxpayers aren't more angry with them.

Thursday, January 10, 2013  Erskine Bowles, co-chairman of the U.S. deficit commission, calls failure to agree on a plan to reduce the national debt "the most disappointing thing in my life."

Friday, December 21, 2012  Thursday's drama was a major personal defeat for House Speaker John Boehner.

Thursday, December 20, 2012  If Congress and the White House don't reach an agreement, taxes would go up for nearly every American family as part of the year-end "fiscal cliff."

Thursday, December 13, 2012  Republicans still aren't budging on Obama's demands for higher tax rates on upper bracket earners, despite the president's convincing election victory and opinion polls showing support for the idea.

Monday, December 10, 2012  The Obama-Boehner meeting Sunday was the first between just the two leaders since Election Day.

Monday, December 10, 2012  The stock market's unpredictability is perhaps the biggest wild card in the political showdown over the fiscal cliff.