Democrats say no. Rauner says yes. Brian Mackey tries to figure out who's right.

Gov. Bruce Rauner will make his annual budget address to the Illinois General Assembly this Wednesday. It comes as state government has gone more than 19 months without a real budget. That’s led the financial experts at credit rating agencies to issue a series of downgrades and dire assessments. The latest is called " For Illinois, Having a Plan Beats No Plan ." It comes from S&P Global Ratings, where Gabriel Petek analyzes state governments.

College students rallied in the state Capitol rotunda Wednesday. They’re urging lawmakers to restore state funding to universities and community colleges.

The Illinois Senate began voting Wednesday on what’s been called a “grand bargain” to end the state’s 19-month budget fight. But the supposedly bipartisan agreement got zero Republican votes.

The Illinois Senate is still negotiating a compromise to finally rectify the state's historic failure to enact a budget. The proposal has changed a lot in the month since it was introduced.

The Illinois Senate could begin voting Tuesday on a bipartisan compromise meant to end the state's budget standoff.

State Senator Dale Righter (R-Mattoon) sat down with us to talk about the state budget impasse, efforts to reach compromise and the Attorney General’s attempt to stop payment to government workers without spending authorization.

Lawmakers introduced competing plans to make sure state employees can remain on the job even if there's no end to the state budget standoff. Meanwhile, Gov. Bruce Rauner is refusing to say whether he approves of the incipient budget compromise being worked out in the state Senate. And what does it say about the future of the downstate economy that Caterpillar Inc. is moving several hundred top jobs from Peoria to the Chicago area?

The Springfield Republican sat down with us to talk about several key issues involving state government.

A report says the outlook for the Illinois economy is bleak.