Illinois

Illinois House Comes Up Short In Bid To Stop Immigrant Detention Center Near Chicago

HuffingtonPost.com | Chris Kirkham | Posted 05.31.2012

Read More: Crete, Illinois House, Undocumented Immigrants, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Corrections Corporation of America, Detention Center, Prisons, Illinois, Private Prisons, Immigrant Detention, For-Profit Prisons, Business News

Illinois lawmakers failed to muster the votes needed Thursday for a bill that would have blocked construction of a for-profit federal detention center...

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'They Want An Upgrade:' Gay Marriage Fight Comes To Illinois

HuffingtonPost.com | Lila Shapiro | Posted 05.31.2012

Read More: Aclu, Video, Same-Sex Marriage Illinois, Lambda Legal, Same-Sex Marriage Lawsuit, Illinois Gay Marriage, Illinois, Civil Unions Illinois, Gay Voices News

When Theresa Volpe and Mercedes Santos sought a marriage license in Illinois earlier this month, the Cook County Clerk's Office worker suggested a civ...

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Same-Sex Marriage and Judicial Responsibility

Geoffrey R. Stone | Posted 05.31.2012

Read More: Gay Rights, Constitution, Courts, Gay Marriage, Same-Sex Marriage, Lgbt, LGBT Rights, Illinois Gay Marriage, Illinois, Marriage Equality, Politics News

Courts have no legal authority to deprive individual citizens of their fundamental constitutional rights until "the voters" decide to grant those rights on their own. Such an approach is incompatible with the very idea of constitutional freedoms.

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Illinois Legislators Vote To Double Cigarette Tax

Posted 05.30.2012

Read More: Illinois Budget, Video, Illinois Cigarette, Pat Quinn, Illinois Cigarette Tax, Chicago, Illinois Capital Bill, Illinois Cigarette Tax Hike, Illinois, Illinois Cigarette Tax Increase, John Cullerton, Cigarette Tax, Illinois Medicaid Cuts, Gov. Pat Quinn, Chicago News

The Illinois Senate voted 31-27 Tuesday in favor of raising the state tax on cigarettes by $1, from 98 cents to $1.98 per pack. The House approved ...

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Illinois Lawmakers Vote To Abolish Tuition Waiver Perk

AP | JOHN O'CONNOR | Posted 05.22.2012

Read More: Tuition Waiver, Illinois, Pat Quinn, Tuition Waiver Illinois, Illinois Tuition Perk, Pat Quinn Tuition Waiver, College News

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. -- After years of bad publicity over cronyism and clout, the Illinois Legislature has voted to end a longstanding program that allow...

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Sending Sex Traffickers and Johns a Message Before NATO

Rachel Durchslag | Posted 05.17.2012

Read More: Prostitution, Illinois, Sex Trafficking, Policy, Nato, Chicago, Secret Service, Nato Summit 2012, Chicago Protecting Women, Nato Summit Chicago, Chicago NATO Summit, Protecting Women Chicago, Chicago News

In preparation for NATO, both local law enforcement and the military are sending a message to pimps, traffickers and potential customers: If you buy sex in Chicago, there will be consequences for your crimes.

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Illinois Man Who Sewed Son's Buttocks Shut, Takes Alford Plea

The Huffington Post | David Lohr | Posted 05.16.2012

Read More: Danielle Pascucci, Video, Fistula, Dumb Crime, Surgery, Randy Swopes, Illinois, Illinois Crime, Crohn's Disease, Slidepollajax, Sewing, Armchair Detective, Crime News

A northeast Illinois man who stood accused of using a needle and thread to sew his son's buttocks shut has accepted a plea agreement and will not spen...

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WATCH: Most Excessive Strikeout Call Ever

Posted 05.15.2012

Read More: Best Strikeout Call, Little League, Illinois, Umpire, Exaggerated Strikeout Call, Video, Best Umpire Call Ever, Blown Call, Sports News

If you've ever wondered where the world's most enthusiastic and demonstrative umpire was located, worry no more. He was recently sighted in Rock Isla...

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Husband Wanted For Stabbing New Wife To Death In Her Wedding Dress

AP | MICHAEL TARM | Posted 05.16.2012

Read More: Newlywed Found Dead, Newlywed Killed in Wedding Dress, Estrella Carrera Arnoldo Jimenez, Arnoldo Jimenez, Chicago, Estrella Carrera, Illinois, Newlywed Murdered, Bride Killed in Wedding Dress, Newlywed Found Stabbed, Crime News

CHICAGO — The groom is being sought in the stabbing death of his young bride hours after their marriage – his new wife's body found in a b...

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PHOTOS: Huge Fossil Forest Discovered In Coal Mine

Posted 05.14.2012

Read More: Illinois Fossils, Illinois Coal, Springfield Coal Seam, Herrin Coal Seam, Herrin Coal, Fossil Forest, Slideexpand, Coal, Video, Petrified Wood, Midwest Coal, Springfield Coal, Illinois, Illinois Fossil Forest, Illinois Coal Forest, Green News

Deep beneath southern Illinois, scientists have discovered the fossilized remains of a 307 million-year-old forest that could "shed new light" on mode...

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Filmmaker Files Lawsuit Over 'Trekkie Traffic Stop'

HuffingtonPost.com | Radley Balko | Posted 05.08.2012

Read More: Search and Seizure, Video, Collinsville Illinois, Drug War, Police, Terrance Huff, Police Misconduct, Terrance Huff Michael Reichert, Michael Reichert, Asset Forfeiture, Illinois, War on Drugs, Terrance Huff Lawsuit, Fourth Amendment, Star Trek, Politics News

Filmmaker Terrance Huff has filed a lawsuit against the city of Collinsville, Illinois, and Collinsville police officer Michael Reichert over a traffi...

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WATCH: An Invasive Species That's Threatening America's Rivers

Daniel Klein | Posted 05.08.2012

Read More: Daniel Klein, Mirra Fine, Asian Carp, Gulf Fishing, Perennial Plate, River, Illinois, Sustainable, Invasive Species, Food News

We met with a fisherman on the Peoria River who was tackling the very fish who could soon be invading your nearest river.

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Stepmom Of Caged Boy Pleads Guilty To Neglect In His Death

Posted 05.03.2012

Read More: Christian Choate Murder, Gary Indiana, Kimberly Kubina Guilty, Chicago, Illinois, Christian Choate, Boy Locked in Cage, Riley Choate, Kimberly Kubina, Boy Buried in Concrete, Christian Choate Trial, Chicago News

The stepmother of Christian Choate, who died while locked in a cage after a brutal beating in his Indiana home, pleaded guilty to neglect of a depende...

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Top 10 Most Dangerous Cities For Women

The Huffington Post | Hilary Tuttle | Posted 04.27.2012

Read More: Sexual Violence, Rape, California, Crime, Most Dangerous Cities for Women, Sexual Assault, Flint MIchigan, Sex Crimes, Tennessee, Illinois, Oklahoma, Alaska, Michigan, Springfield-Illinois, Crime News

In only the first four months of 2012, almost 300 rapes and four serial rapists have been reported in Detroit, and a 2011 survey found 37 percent of w...

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Small Town Mayor To Locals: Get Outta Town

The Huffington Post | Alexander Eichler | Posted 04.25.2012

Read More: Chicago Gas Prices, High Gas Prices, Gas Prices, New Lenox, Oil Production, Pump Prices, Illinois, Tim Baldermann, Fuel Prices, Consumer Spending, Four Dollars a Gallon, Video, Money News

How high are gas prices in New Lenox, Ill.? They're so high, the mayor is sending people out of town to fill up their tanks. At one New Lenox st...

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Man Accused Of Murder After Slamming Toddler Into Wall

HuffingtonPost.com | David Lohr | Posted 04.24.2012

Read More: Michael Pulliam, Child Murder, Jarrod Rudder, Crime, Crime News, Murder, Video, Child Abuse, Jarrod W. Rudder, Illinois, Jarrod Wayne Rudder, Michael Wepsiec, Child Murdered, Crime News

Police in Southern Illinois have arrested Jarrod Rudder in the brutal murder of a toddler whom police say was slammed against a wall. Rudder, 24, w...

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Walker Receives Ugly Welcome During Out-Of-State Appearance

Patch.com | Stephen Sadin | Posted 04.21.2012

Read More: Illinois, Scott Walker Recall, Wisconsin Recall Elections, Gov. Scott Walker, Scott Walker Illinois, Scott Walker, Scott Walker Protesters, Politics News

With chants of “Union busting is disgusting” and “Hey, hey, ho, ho, Scott Walker’s got to go,” more than 200 union members from Illinois and...

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Police Called On Mother Trying To Report Crime Against 11-Year-Old Son

KMOV | Posted 04.19.2012

Read More: Illinois, Tammy Blair, Diontre Berry, Estelle Kampmeyer Elementary School, Crime, Crime News, Attempted Abduction, Crime News

O’FALLON, Illinois (KMOV) -- A local mother says she’s searching for answers after police were called on her while she was trying to report a crim...

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Teachers Union President: Support Growing For Districtwide Strike

Posted 04.17.2012

Read More: Karen Lewis Strike, Video, Karen Lewis, Chicago Teacher Strike, Chicago Public Schools, Ctu, Chicago, Illinois, CTU Strike, Chicago Teachers Union, Chicago News

While the Chicago Teachers Union has been threatening to strike since last summer to protest changes in the school day, their pay metrics and the way ...

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Man In Little Black Dress Exposed Himself To Kids, Cops Say

Posted 04.06.2012

Read More: Little Black Dress Flasher, Keith Fehr, Keith Fehr Little Black Dress, Indecent Exposure, Keith Fehr Arrested, Sexual Exploitation, Illinois, Illinois Crime, Little Black Dress, Slidepollajax, Little Black Dress Indecent Exposure, Weird News News

They say a little black dress is the most versatile item in a girl's wardrobe, but it should never be used like this. An Illinois man dressed in hi...

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Recruiting and Supporting Women and Girls in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Careers

Wendy Pollack | Posted 04.03.2012

Read More: Women, Math and Science Education, STEM Education, Science Education, Stem, Illinois, Chicago, Gender Parity, Women in Engineering, Women in Science, Illinois Pathways Initiative, Chicago News

Gender bias in STEM fields inhibits many talented women and girls from entering STEM careers, which keeps the U.S. from remaining economically competitive in the world.

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Why Would the Illinois General Assembly Want to Increase Gas Prices?

Henry Henderson | Posted 04.02.2012

Read More: Tar Sands, Gas Prices, Natural Resources Defense Council, Nrdc, Chicago, Illinois General Assembly, Oilsands, Illinois, Dirty Fuels, Midwest Gas Prices, Keystone Pipeline, Midwest Keystone Pipeline, Keystone Pipeline Midwest, Video, Chicago News

The real solution to our gas price problem is not doubling down on the dirtiest oil on the planet: Instead we need to lessen our dependence on oil.

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Can Drug Dogs Be Trusted?

HuffingtonPost.com | Radley Balko | Posted 03.31.2012

Read More: Search, Drug War, Illinois, Police Search, Drug Dogs, K-9, Drug Search, Fourth Amendment, Politics News

In the course of reporting on the traffic stop of Terrance Huff, HuffPost was able to obtain the reports of an Illinois State Police K-9 unit over an ...

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Traffic Stop Of Star Trek Fans Raises Concerns About Drug Searches

HuffingtonPost.com | Radley Balko | Posted 03.31.2012

Read More: Civil Liberties, Video, Drug War, Police, Terrance Huff, Asset Forfeiture, Police Search, Illinois, Drug Dogs, Fourth Amendment, Drug Search, Collinsville, Civil Rights, Star Trek, Politics News

Last December, filmmaker Terrance Huff and his friend Jon Seaton were returning to Ohio after attending a "Star Trek" convention in St. Louis. As they...

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Joe Walsh Ready For Tough Battle

Politico | Posted 03.30.2012

Read More: Illinois, Joe Walsh Reelection, Rep. Joe Walsh, Joe Walsh, Politics News

Whether it’s with House GOP leadership, cable talk-show hosts or even his own constituents, Joe Walsh relishes a good fight. His decision to run ...

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