Seth Grahame-Smith is author of the best-seller “Pride and Prejudice and Zombies.” I recently talked with Grahame-Smith about his newest book, “Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter,” which is out now.

Whether you like the process that was used or not, the Illinois General Assembly made landmark, sweeping changes to state and some local pension systems on Wednesday.

Public employee unions and future public sector workers got throttled on Wednesday — and that’s the family-friendly way of putting it.

Chris Britt's editorial cartoon on GOP leaders fueling the fires.

Plenty of far more important political commentators than I have taken Sarah Palin, who served as governor of Alaska for nearly her whole term, to task for launching a new reality TV show after dedicating a considerable part of her lively and apparently ceaseless candidacy denouncing Hollywood. But here goes!

With a name like hers, it's no coincidence Katie Broadway shines bright on a big stage. With 4,459 pairs of eyes on her, Broadway's 3-pointer with 19 seconds remaining pushed the Illinois State women's basketball team past Illinois 53-51 on Sunday at Redbird Arena.

A measure to end traffic ticket quotas that stalled and then was revived is back in limbo in the Illinois House. The House on Friday voted 48-56 on House Bill 6035, backed by Rep. John Bradley, D-Marion. It needed 60 "yes" votes to be approved, but Bradley says he’ll keep pushing the idea.

The average productivity of the American worker has risen 30 percent in the last decade, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. That means the amount of work done in 1999 during a 40-hour workweek can now be accomplished in 31 hours, said Chris Kuehl, economist for the Fabricators and Manufacturers Association.

Doug Oberhelman spoke in English on Thursday when he said Caterpillar Inc. will come out of the recession stronger than it’s ever been. But the company’s recovery, he told Rotarians in Morton, will get its start overseas in countries where recovery is happening at a faster clip than in the United States.

Faced with about $5 million in spending cuts for the fiscal year that begins July 1, University of Illinois Extension, which provides instruction ranging from livestock judging to farm safety to cooking and gardening classes, is facing a major reorganization that could include county office closings or consolidations and layoffs.

Ex-Gov. Rod Blagojevich will have to wait a while -- or even pay for it himself -- to get his official portrait up in the state Capitol if some lawmakers get their way.

After posting a 24 wins and reaching the NCAA tournament in somewhat of a surprise in 2008-09, expectations grew for a program trying to rebuild from a losing season two years ago. Three starters returned in the fall, a prominent recruiting class was added, and there appeared to be enough depth and athletic ability to duplicate the success from the previous season. But after a 77-71 loss to Dayton in the NIT quarterfinals Wednesday left the Illini with a season-ending 21-15 record, a proud program with a loyal fan base that stuck through postseason disappointment realized there's still work to be done.

Using recycled materials, Ward Miner designed and constructed two 4-foot by 8-foot solar collectors that likely will cut his heating bill in half in March and April. During December through February, with fewer sunny days, he estimates the solar collectors saved between one-third and one-sixth of his heating bill. The main component of each unit is 300 recycled soda and beer cans.

A deadly crash in rural Logan County and a number of cases in Chicago are prompting lawmakers to strengthen penalties for extreme speeders.

State senators today approved measures on two controversies: which schools parents can send their children to, and how closely drivers will be watched at red lights.