The state of Illinois lost 0.4 percent of its population during the one-year period, landing at 12,741,080 as of last summer.

The high cost and restrictive nature of teacher licensure tests may be contributing to the teacher shortage, according to some education officials.

Futuristic technology could give Illinoisans their own personal robots that follow wherever they go, and carry supplies like groceries.

Legislation that punishes employers in Illinois who short their workers' pay left Republican representatives with open-ended questions about the impact.