The Illinois General Assembly passes funding for social service providers and shares details on what a potential budget agreement would include. We have the latest from Springfield.

Illinois Comptroller Leslie Munger tightens state lawmakers' belts, hoping to force a budget deal. Will that work to break the deadlock?

Catholic Charities Chicago (U.S. Department of Agriculture)

Social Service Agency ‘In Crisis Mode,' says CEO

The head of the state's largest social service organization says the state's ongoing budget impasse has now reached a crisis level that could impact the lives of hundreds of thousands vulnerable citizens. Paris Schutz has the exclusive story.

Governors State University (Daniel X. O'Neil / Flickr)

With the state budget standoff in its seventh month and little apparent urgency from Springfield, we talk with the presidents of Governors State and Northeastern Illinois Universities as the funding crisis deepens.

Public universities in Illinois have received no state funding since the budget standoff began in July. We hear from four university presidents on the impact the budget crisis is having on their campuses.

We share what you had to say about some of our recent stories when we read viewer feedback from the "Chicago Tonight" website, and our Facebook and Twitter pages.

State Rep. Ken Dunkin

On Tuesday, State Rep. Ken Dunkin was the lone Democratic holdout on two bills that would have reversed changes made to social service programs by the governor. This, despite pleas from child care advocates and the risks associated with going against powerful House Speaker Mike Madigan. Dunkin joins "Chicago Tonight" to discuss his decision.

The Illinois General Assembly returned to work in Springfield on Tuesday for the first time in three weeks. Amanda Vinicky joins us with the latest.

Illinois is in its fifth month without a state budget and Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Gov. Bruce Rauner have traded barbs—and possibly some dead fish—over how to resolve the impasse that is sucking all of the oxygen up in Springfield. We talk with "Chicago Tonight" reporters Paris Shutz and Amanda Vinicky, and WBEZ political reporter Tony Arnold. 

Illinois is coming up on almost three months with no state budget, and Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner and Democratic legislative leaders don't appear to be any closer to a solution. Two lawmakers known for sometimes bucking their party leaders discuss whether there's a bipartisan path out of the state's current mess.

Change in Corporate Income Tax Floated

There’s a potential third way out of the deadlock over how to close a $6 billion state budget gap. Gov. Bruce Rauner is refusing to sign off on a budget without changes to collective bargaining and public employee unions. And the Democrats are refusing to go along with that. So, what are the alternatives? Paris Schutz has the details.

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