WBEZ

Metro sees double-digit increase in bus passengers

St. Louis’ mass transit agency saw the biggest growth in bus ridership in the country during the first three months of the year.

Reporting from WBEZ's Robert Wildeboer used in this report.

U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald says he will not run for elective office. That comes after the highly respected federal prosecutor announced yesterday that he'll step down at the end of June.

In a 35-minute press conference today the media-averse Fitzgerald talked to reporters about why he's stepping down.

Reporting from WBEZ's Alex Keefe used in this report.

Lotto officials say Illinois is set to become the first state in the nation to sell lottery tickets over the Internet. Online ticket sales launch Sunday morning.

Lotto officials are betting online ticket sales could haul in up to $118 million per year in new revenue. Lottery superintendent Michael Jones is hoping to lure hundreds of thousands of new players to a highly secure website.

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Reporting from WBEZ's Alex Keefe used in this report.

Governor Pat Quinn is defending his plan to close a super-maximum security prison in southern Illinois.

The governor's office says closing Tamms prison would save the state nearly $22 million next year. Quinn says it costs more than 64,000 per year to lock up a prisoner there - about three times the statewide average.

Updated 2:39 p.m. with report from WBEZ's Alex Keefe.

State worker pensions and Medicaid funding could be on the chopping block when Illinois' governor outlines his budget proposal this week.

Governor Pat Quinn says the budget plan he'll unveil Wednesday will bring state spending back down to where it was in 2008.

But he says the seed of the state's current fiscal mess was planted even earlier - by his predecessors.