Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker and his public health chief decided their five-phase plan to lift COVID-19 restrictions needed another phase. The new phase calls for more places to open after more older residents are vaccinated, but with mask mandates.

Mike Madigan again controlled the choice of his replacement as state representative after his first pick resigned over ‘questionable conduct.’ This pick is a community activist who manages COVID-19 contact tracing.

Two days after he picked his replacement as state representative, Mike Madigan asked that replacement to resign over ‘questionable conduct.’ Edward Guerra Kodatt then quit after serving two days, entitling him to $5,789 in salary.

Mike Madigan quit as Democratic Party of Illinois chairman a day after picking his successor for the Illinois House, four days after resigning as representative and one month after he was ousted as the nation's longest-serving Statehouse speaker.

This page will be updated daily to reflect developments related to the spread of COVID-19 in Illinois.

Illinois’ high levels of corruption damage the state’s economy, costing it $10.6 billion since 2000. States with higher levels of corruption average lower levels of economic growth.

Chicago and the state of Illinois are notorious around the country for high-profile corruption convictions. Rod Blagojevich settles back in after the former governor’s imprisonment for corruption.

Chicago is the most corrupt city, and Illinois the second-most corrupt state, in the nation, according to a recent report by the University of Illinois at Chicago. But corruption in Illinois is more than a buzzword. It comes with social and economic costs. Not only does corruption lessen residents’ faith in the government, it decreases...