Sean Crawford

Sean Crawford talks with State Journal-Register Business Editor Tim Landis.

Gov. Bruce Rauner embarked on a political tour of Illinois — but he says it's not a campaign tour. (In fact, he's already confirmed he will seek re-election next year.)

John Wilkes Booth is a villain in history.  Yet, he had a prominent spot in the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum in Springfield.

Since the facility opened in 2005, a sinister statue of Booth shadowed the Lincoln family as visitors entered the main plaza.  But no more.  

There are plenty of scary climate change predictions about what could be coming our way in the future.  So what is a person to do?  Move to Michigan.  

Sean Crawford talks with State Journal-Register Business Editor Tim Landis.

The Southern Illinois University Board of Trustees last week pushed off a major financial decision.

Want to add some beauty to your yard while also doing something beneficial for wildlife?  Native plants are a good choice.

A month after Gov. Bruce Rauner conveyed to Republicans his opposition to the grand bargain, Senate Democrats are rejecting his attempt to break off pieces of the deal. Meanwhile, Democrats are offering a "Comeback Agenda" as an alternative to Rauner's "Turnaround Agenda," and House Speaker Michael Madigan is taking public offense to some of the governor's remarks.

Cairo is at the bottom of Illinois. And not just geographically.  Poverty is high in a town mired in one of the most de-populating counties in the U.S. 

Sean Crawford talks with State Journal-Register Business Editor Tim Landis.

High school basketball in Illinois has always been a popular spectator sport.  But you might not know that from the recent state tournaments.  

It seems there more budget action in Illinois courts than in the Statehouse. After getting just one paycheck since last summer, state legislators are finally getting paid.

The decline of the monarch butterfly population has led researchers to look for reasons why. 

A popular theory is the loss of milkweed, the only plant on which monarch larvae feed.  But a study from the Illinois Natural History Survey at the University of Illinois indicates that's not the sole culprit.  

Sean Crawford talks with State Journal-Register Business Editor Tim Landis.

Republican senators working with Gov. Bruce Rauner began breaking off pieces of the "grand bargain," which Democrats say undermines efforts to move toward a compromise budget. Meanwhile, what had been a bipartisan selection process for Illinois' U.S. attorneys is changing, with senior Republican Congressman John Shimkus saying he's waiting for the Trump administration to advise him on how to proceed.

As Illinois remains mired in gridlock and nearing two years without a full budget, voters are pinning the blame on state leaders.

There’s a 2 ½ mile stretch of road in southern Illinois that is off limits to vehicle traffic for the next couple of months.  It has nothing to do with potholes or repairs.  It’s all about snakes.

Sean Crawford talks with State Journal-Register Business Editor Tim Landis.

A lot of uncertainty these days for Illinois members of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees who work for state government.   

If you are looking for Mexican culture in the midwest, the Pilsen neighborhood in Chicago has you covered.

Chance the Rapper critiques Gov. Bruce Rauner's job performance, the governor alleges a conspiracy among Democrats, and the Appellate Court gives AFSCME a temporary reprieve in its contract fight.

Sean Crawford talks with State Journal-Register Business Editor Tim Landis.

CHAMPAIGN, IL - The Land Connection's  Mastering the Farmers’ Market series in Champaign and Springfield continues this month with workshops designed to help farmers’ market vendors build their brand, attract more customers, and explore small business basics.

Money Matters at the Farmers’ Market in March will cover small business budgeting strategies from local experts and the ways that new technologies can help market vendors improve payment options for their customers, track sales more effectively, and run their booth more efficiently.

As Illinois enters its 21st month without a real budget, several questions occupy observers of state government: Is the state Senate's "grand bargain" dead? If so, who killed it? Where do we go from here? And has anyone heard from the Illinois House of Representatives?

There have been numerous rallies since the election in November.  Most have been protests of the new administration.  Saturday in Springfield, a March 4 Trump event will bring together supporters of the new president.  

Memorial Behavioral Health will host two opportunities for the public to receive training to learn how to identify and respond to people showing signs of mental illness and substance abuse.

Sean Crawford is joined by Tim Landis, Business Editor of the State Journal-Register.

Members of AFSCME voted overwhelmingly to give the union's bargaining committee the power to strike. The union has been in a contract fight with Gov. Bruce Rauner for more than two years. Rauner has tried to impose his terms, saying they're a fair deal for both workers and taxpayers. Meanwhile, in the week following the governor's budget address, Rauner did little to support or defend his plan.