State House Speaker Mike Madigan bid his political nemesis farewell on Wednesday by declaring an end to “four long years” of Gov. Bruce Rauner’s “character assassination” and negotiations the Republican governor treated as “my way or the highway.”

At the House inauguration ceremony at University of Illinois at Springfield, Madigan — the longest serving statehouse speaker in the U.S. — was once again re-elected with 72 votes. Freshman state Rep. Anne Stava-Murray, D-Naperville, became the lone Democrat to vote “present,” which she had vowed to do while campaigning.

Illinois will soon enter a fresh period of Democratic control of state government when Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner on Monday passes the gubernatorial gavel to Democrat J.B. Pritzker. But two powerful mainstays will remain: House Speaker Michael Madigan and Senate President John Cullerton.

Each won new leadership terms Wednesday, as members of the 101st General Assembly took the oath of office.

It takes competitive salaries to attract talent, but in certain cases, there’s a limit to what money can buy.

Democratic Gov.-elect J.B. Pritzker won’t take office until Monday, but he’s already receiving a warm and cooperative response from his fellow party members, as well as Republicans in the General Assembly.

Shortly after Pritzker stated he needs to offer higher salaries for top executive branch officials, legislators announced they would move quickly to accommodate him. The new Legislature took office Wednesday.

Former state Rep. Nick Sauer has been charged with 12 felonies for allegedly posting private sexual photos of two people online without their permission, according to the Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office.

A Lake County grand jury handed down the indictment Wednesday morning, according to a news release. Sauer’s attorney has told prosecutors that Sauer will turn himself in Thursday morning, according to the release.

As the real estate market continues its slow recovery here, the share of your home or office value that you pay in property taxes finally has begun to stabilize and, in some cases, drop.

But it’s still a lot higher than it was a decade ago, according to a new report issued by the Civic Federation.

Several Chicago political players have called for ethics reforms in City Council in the wake of federal charges of attempted extortion against longtime Ald. Ed Burke last week.

Burke is accused of misusing his role as a powerful alderman to solicit business for his private tax law firm.

A day after confirming it will scrap plans for a 20,000-seat soccer stadium and Live Nation Entertainment music venues in the proposed Lincoln Yards development, Sterling Bay on Wednesday said it expects to present revised plans to the Chicago Plan Commission in just over two weeks.

Ald. Brian Hopkins, 2nd, on Wednesday confirmed he supports the unusual step of having the Plan Commission consider the ambitious $5 billion-plus project before the community at large has an opportunity to weigh in on it. Sterling Bay’s proposal is on the commission’s Jan. 24 agenda, although Hopkins said he hasn’t decided whether he will support the project.

After months of rejecting payments owed to Algonquin Township Highway Commissioner Andrew Gasser’s attorney, trustees on Wednesday night approved about $35,000 to the road district’s $400-an-hour Woodstock-based lawyer, Robert Hanlon.

The board voted, 3-2, to approve payment to Hanlon, whose firm has charged the highway department of McHenry County’s most populous township more than $400,000 representing Gasser in a complex legal battle dismissed multiple times and now on its way to appeals court.

The teachers union for Warren Township High School District 121 overwhelmingly voted Wednesday night to authorize a strike, if necessary, as contract negotiations continue.

The Warren Township High School Federation of Teachers has been negotiating a new contract with administration officials and school board members for about the past year, meeting with the district 20 times, union officials said. Teachers have been working without a contract since June 30.

Rather than opting out of taxpayer-subsidized health insurance benefits, Kane County Board members on Wednesday found themselves scrambling to justify why they even have the benefits.

Research by the Kane County state’s attorney’s office, clerk, human resources department and board Chairman Chris Lauzen found no record of a county board vote creating the benefit. Board members agreed to continue that search Wednesday.

Although consultants recommended the schools in Freeburg, Smithton and St. Libory consolidate into one district, another board has decided to stop discussing it.

In a board resolution, Smithton’s leaders stated that they didn’t think their taxpayers should be on the hook for potential litigation costs that might come up in the future by consolidating with a district that has a history of child sex abuse allegations.