Sometimes it seems that Joliet residents are upset about a potential 20 percent hike in the property tax rate.

Updated at 12:55 p.m. ET . A Senate ethics panel cleared Sen. Roland Burris of any legal wrongdoing, after months of questions swirling around his appointment to the Senate seat President Obama left vacant upon taking office.

The newest cop on the job in Plainfield sits behind the biggest desk in the department, but sometimes wishes he was still sitting behind the wheel of a squad car.

Urbana- University of Illinois police are keeping a close eye on campus after threatening messages were discovered last week.

The State Journal-Register PLEASANT PLAINS, Ill. -- Some auctioneers carry the unofficial title of "colonel," a moniker carried over from the Civil War when the colonel of the division sold at auction goods seized by his army.

Saturday, Nov. 14 - Giuffre Buick AND Gizzy Lu in the mall, 11-2 Saturday, Nov. 21 - Ace Hardware on Wabash AND PetsMart, 11-2 Saturday, Nov.

Three UIS students charged with committing a hate crime appeared in court for the first time on Wednesday, Nov.

Fighting The Flu - H1N1 vaccine questions and answers We are fighting the flu. Every day we are going to be devoting time on StormCenter 17 at 5:00 to answer your questions about H1N1 or the seasonal flu.

Authorities say a 97-year-old man has died after his vehicle became caught in floodwaters in central Illinois.

A lot of communities across Central Illinois have been getting more doses of the vaccine, while others are still waiting to get their clinics started.

A Sangamon County jury has convicted a 19-year-old Springfield man of first-degree murder for dropping a concrete landscape block on another man's head during a fight more than two years ago.

Unusually cold and wet weather has hampered Illinois farmers' attempts to bring in the crops.

Uncle Roy, I didn't get to see you after all. Maybe you don't care: you're dead, and that's not a social time.

Rudolph C. "Rudy" Fratto, 65, of Darien, who comes from a family of alleged mobsters, admitted to failing to pay more than $140,000 in federal taxes on more than $800,000 in income from 2001 to 2007, according to his plea agreement in a case investigated by the Internal Revenue Service.

TESA CULLI tesa.culli@register-news.com SPRINGFIELD - There were 412 vehicle/deer accidents in Jefferson County in 2008, and crashes involving deer were down throughout the state, according to information from the Illinois Department of Transportation.

A retired state police officer could take the helm of the Plainfield Police Department next month.

Police arrested three residential UIS students on Saturday. The men are accused of perpetrating a hate crime against two males, one a UIS student, in a campus parking lot last weekend.

Church can help the soul, but some are growing worried about what it might do to health during cold and flu season.

The American Kennel Club announced recently that the Illinois Capital Kennel Club of Springfield, Illinois has been named a recipient of the AKC Community Achievement Award for taking an active role in fighting anti-dog legislation in its community.

A Sangamon County judge has sentenced a Decatur man to 14 years in prison - the maximum sentence for which he was eligible for his part in an October 2007 car crash that killed Illinois State Trooper Brian McMillen.