Stories by Karen Kidd on Madison - St. Clair Record

Wood River Township Supervisor Mike Babcock, running for the Illinois State House against the incumbent Rep. Dan Beiser (D-Alton), named the budget, jobs and schools as the top three problems in the state, during a recent interview.

This year's proposed redistricting reform measure would draw lines based on simple grids to take in a certain number of residents rather than try to determine districts by likely partisan voters, Meier said.

SPRINGFIELD – A bill to freeze property taxes likely won't pass in the waning days of this legislative session, but a reform advocate believes that eventually some measure will pass.

Illinois state public sector pay is outpacing salaries in the private sector, in large part because of union representation, Ted Dabrowski, vice president of policy at the Illinois Policy Institute, said. The median salary for a worker represented by American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) increased more than 40 percent from 2005 to 2014, to more than $62,800 in that last year.

Chicago's population declined by 2,890 during the 12-month period, the second worst in the nation. Chicago ranked behind Detroit, which sustained a population decline 3,107, according to the U.S. Census data.

A Thompsonville veteran's widow is representing herself in her lawsuit against the federal government, claiming the medical staff at Marion Veterans Administration Hospital failed to timely diagnose her late husband's cancer.

Treasurers says county revenues have long exceeded needs.

A petition drive to lower property taxes in Madison County has achieved the bare minimum of signatures to put the question to voters in November, but proponents want extras to ensure it sticks. 

SPRINGFIELD – State Rep. Dwight Kay (R-Glen Carbon) said that it's time for the embattled Illinois Auditor General Frank Mautino to step down in light of his "dogged refusal to answer questions" about prior campaign finances.

Illinois' embattled Auditor General Frank Mautino's decision to hire an attorney rather than answer questions about prior campaign expenditures has slowed down getting those answers but can't stop it, a state representative said during a recent interview.

Cameras may soon be installed in more circuit courts across Illinois, after the state Supreme Court's decision to make a pilot policy permanent.

Those who blame the state's higher education funding shortfalls on Springfield gridlock should focus on the real causes of the crisis: skyrocketing pensions, bloated administrative costs and soaring tuition and fees for students, according to the co-author of a recent study.

As a long-time supporter of the current U.S. president, Ray Coleman of East St. Louis said that Barack Obama will have plenty to reflect upon during his speech before the Illinois General Assembly this week. 

Following reports of questionable campaign expenditures of newly appointed Illinois Auditor General Frank Mautino, one state representative is calling for an investigation. State Rep. Dwight Kay (R-Glen Carbon) said "there is no question" that campaign finances of the former state representative need to be examined.