A state government panel is suggesting a $1 increase in Illinois’ license-plate fee to encourage more people to drive electric cars. The $1 increase would bring Illinois’ standard license plate renewal cost to $100 a year.

Since 1980, more than 12,000 indigent and unclaimed bodies have been buried in mass graves at Homewood Memorial Gardens. Sheriff Tom Dart says it's virtually impossible to figure out where any one individual is located - meaning some crimes may never be solved, and many families may never have the solace of finding their loved one.

Kevin Jackson, director of neurosurgery at Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital in Downers Grove, said surgery to remove part of a patient's skull, then tissue from his brain, are potentially lifesaving procedures taken when doctors can't otherwise stop swelling in the brain. "The fact that he needed these two surgeries showed this situation is extremely critical," Jackson said.

Bills have been introduced in the Illinois General Assembly that would require online dating services to increase safety transparency by clearly specifying to members whether they do background checks on their clients. 

Where some Chicago residents saw Gerrymandered new ward boundaries, IIT architecture student Andrew Bayley saw the makings of a beautiful jigsaw puzzle. Using his laser cutter and some Baltic Burch plywood, Bayley, 32, created a puzzle out of Chicago's new crazy-quilt ward map. 

O'Hare International Airport, which was the world's busiest airport from 1961 through 1997, remained stuck in the No. 2 spot last year in the U.S. as measured by the number of flights, the Federal Aviation Administration said Thursday.

Bringing down a governor or another high-profile defendant is one of those career-defining moments for prosecutors and usually hastens their exit from public service. So it goes for Reid Schar. Schar, the lead prosecutor in both corruption trials of former Gov. Rod Blagojevich, will be leaving the U.S. attorney's office after 12 years, said three people with direct knowledge of the matter.

Faith-based groups that have become the face of community support for Mayor Rahm Emanuel's controversial plans to lengthen the school day and close failing schools also receive millions of dollars in grants from his administration. City Hall has long enjoyed the support of church leaders who receive grants to run after-school programs and other social services, but that relationship is coming under new scrutiny in response to complaints that some groups paid people to testify in support of Emanuel reforms at recent public hearings.

The City Council’s Hispanic Caucus could nearly double in size — adding seven new members with names like Burke, Quinn, Mell, Zalewski, and Sposato — under a surprise invitation to emerge from a contentious remap process.  

The Illinois State Board of Education is asking for $265 million more in state funding next year. The board approved its budget recommendation Thursday. The $6.9 billion being sought for fiscal year 2013 is a 3.9 percent increase.

In the wake of photos showing hundreds of bodies haphazardly stacked up at the Cook County morgue, there will be a top to bottom restructuring of the medical examiner's office.

Chicago cabdrivers have already accused Mayor Rahm Emanuel of changing virtually everything about the taxicab industry except by giving them the thing that matters most to them: a fare increase. Now, they’re complaining about being “disenfranchised” when it comes to their future ability to petition the City Council for higher fares.

Tired of seeing satellite dishes bolted all over the fronts of residences in his Northwest Side ward, an alderman is advancing a plan he hopes will prompt installers to mount them on the sides or rear of buildings in most cases.

The Chicago Public Schools watchdog is investigating why people have been paid to speak out in support of school closings. The school district's Inspector General said they're looking to verify whether that's true, and if so - if it's legal.

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