After two years without a budget and a failed attempt to compromise on a "grand bargain," some in Illinois are asking whether bankruptcy is a viable way out of the state's financial morass.

Ret. Gen. David Petraeus, perhaps best known for leading the American military efforts in Iraq under Presdent George W. Bush, will provide the keynote address at the 6th Annual Navy Seal Foundation's "Chicago Evening of Tribute," a fundraising event that supports Naval Special Warfare (NSW) families.

Rep. Bob Pritchard (R-Hinckley) congratulated Jared Thorp and eight other DeKalb firefighters who were honored for their efforts at a statewide ceremony and memorial in Springfield recently.

The chances that Illinois will reach a budget before May 31 and avoid seeing its bond rating lowered to the worst of any state in history are 50-50 at best, according to Mark Glennon, founder of the business and government website WirePoints told the Sangamon Sun recently.

It's hard to tell the difference between a seated Illinois General Assembly and one that's on a break, WCIA Capitol Bureau Chief Mark Maxwell said in a recent segment focused on a lack of new bills, characterizing the legislative accomplishments of the 100th General Assembly as “hardly anything at all."

There won't be any coming back for high-wage earners who will exit Illinois in a hurry if the so-called "Illinois Comeback Agenda" passes, a financial services professional said.

Illinois can't grow unless its small businesses grow, Gov. Bruce Rauner told owners and employees of several of the state's 1 million such businesses on a brief tour recently.

The Illinois State Board of Elections slapped a $5,000 fine on Auditor General Frank Mautino's campaign committee on Monday for failing to comply with board order to update financial disclosure reports filed in 2014 and 2015.

Rep. Jeanne Ives (R-Wheaton) chastised the House for its lack of progress on a state budget estimate, calling it a failure of the chamber.

Without the help of Republicans, Senate Democrats voted Tuesday to fix the budget by raising the Illinois income tax and expanding the sales tax.

Rep. Robert Pritchard (R-Hinckley) applauded a House effort to keep talented students in Illinois but said House Bill 230 was not the way to do it.

Illinoisans pay more in total taxes than anyone else in the nation, so any thoughts about adding to that burden need to be forgotten, a tax analyst argued recently.

Financial expert Mark Glennon of Wilmette says in his analysis of a new study on state and local pensions that the options available to reduce the substantial obligations facing Illinois funds include amending the state constitution or going through federal bankruptcy.

As a state lawmaker, Frank Mautino paid nearly $12,500 in campaign fund cash to a man named Joe without keeping any supporting receipts, according to a government oversight group.

The buckling stops here, Gov. Bruce Rauner said during a call-in radio show recently.

Sen. Andy Manar (D-Bunker Hill) is demanding a state investigation after the Kankakee Times reported on the anticipated district-by-district financial impact of his Senate Bill 1, which promises to change the state's formula for dispensing money to public schools.

Rep. Bob Pritchard (R-Hinckley) might not be a teacher, but he can still assign some homework, it seems.