 CONVICTION AND SENTENCING OF ROD BLAGOJEVICH: After his first trial
last year ended largely deadlocked, jurors convicted the former
Illinois governor on multiple corruption counts in June of this
year. In December, a federal judge sentenced him to a stiff, 14-year
prison sentence.RAHM EMANUEL BECOMES CHICAGO MAYOR: In May,
President Barack Obama's former chief of staff became Chicago's
first new mayor in more than two decades -- a historic power shift
for a city where the retiring Richard M. Daley was the only leader a
whole generation had ever known.
CIVIL UNIONS ENACTED: Illinois' civil unions law -- enacted in
June -- gave gay and lesbian couples many of the same rights and
legal protections of marriage, including the right to inherit their
partner's property.
BLIZZARD: A fierce storm that swept much of the country in
February also rolled through Illinois. Chicago was particularly
hard-hit, with around 20 inches of snow stranding drivers on Lake
Shore Drive and bringing much of the rest of the region to a
standstill.
ILLINOIS' UNPAID BILLS: The state government's failure -- for yet
another year -- to pay billions in overdue bills hurt scores of
vendors and service providers. Because the state did not uphold its
end of the bargain, many businesses had to borrow money or cut staff
to make ends meet.
INCOME TAX HIKE: Gov. Pat Quinn signed legislation in January
raising Illinois' income taxes by two-thirds as he sought revenue to
help drag state government out of the deepest budget hole in its
history. The law raised the personal tax rate to 5 percent, up from
3 percent.
DEATH PENALTY ABOLISHED: Quinn signed legislation in March
abolishing the death penalty in Illinois. At the same time, Quinn
commuted sentences of 15 men on death row to life in prison without
parole.
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THE ECONOMY: Like much of the rest of the nation, Illinois has
struggled to revive its economy. But it's unemployment rate is
higher than in many other states, persistently hovering at around 10
percent.
OPRAH WINFREY ENDS TALK SHOW: After a 25-year run in Chicago,
"The Oprah Winfrey Show" taped its final shows in spring. The queen
of talk featured around 30,000 guests in some 4,500 episodes and, in
the process, became a fixture in many households.
FIRST SHELEY TRIAL: In September, jurors convicted Nicholas
Sheley in the 2008 beating death of 93-year-old Ronald Randall.
Sheley still faces charges in seven other deaths in connection with
a killing spree in Illinois and Missouri.
[Associated Press]
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