Illinois

The sale of marijuana for recreational purposes became legal Wednesday in Illinois to the delight of pot fans — many who began lining up hours early at dispensaries. Read more here.

By John Flesher, AP Environmental Writer TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) — Five Democratic governors of states in the Great Lakes region Monday urged the candidates in next year's presidential election to support a plan for safeguarding their shared waters by boosting federal spending on treatment plants...

By John O'Connor, AP Political Writer SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — Illinois' new governor delivered on a top campaign promise Tuesday by signing legislation that makes the state the 11th to legalize small amounts of marijuana for recreational use and the second to approve it through the Legislature...

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — Illinois is likely to become the 11th state to allow small amounts of marijuana for recreational use after the Democratic-controlled House on Friday sent a legalization plan to Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker, who campaigned on the issue. Those 21 and older would be able to...

CHICAGO (AP) — Police believe an Illinois couple who reported their 5-year-old son missing last week killed him days earlier by beating him and forcing him to stand in a cold shower for an extended period of time, according to court documents released Thursday. The allegations are included in a...

By Eric Levenson, CNN (CNN) -- The body of a 5-year-old boy reported as missing last week was found wrapped in plastic in a shallow grave on Wednesday, and his parents have been charged with murder, police said. The parents, Andrew Freund Sr. and JoAnn Cunningham, then provided information that...

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — R. Kelly gave a 28-second performance and spent about half an hour more hobnobbing with fans who paid $50 to $100 to see him at a club in the Illinois capital of Springfield. The R&B singer posted a video on his Instagram page hours before the early Sunday performance...

By Dan Sewell and Don Babwin CINCINNATI (AP) — A young man's claim to be an Illinois boy who disappeared under tragic circumstances eight years ago was disproved by DNA tests and pronounced a hoax Thursday, dashing hopes that the baffling case had finally been solved. For a day and a half, a...

By Corey Williams and Caryn Rousseau (AP) — A 14-year-old boy who said he escaped from two kidnappers in Ohio told authorities he is from Illinois, where he went missing nearly eight years ago when his mother apparently took her own life. Police in suburban Cincinnati's Sharonville wrote in a short...

By Sara Sidner, CNN (CNN) -- A grand jury has been convened in Cook County, Illinois, in connection with new allegations against singer R. Kelly, according to two sources close to the case. This comes on the heels of attorney Michael Avenatti announcing last week that he had handed over to the...