Stories by Olivia Olsen on Cook County Record

Employees who keep in touch with their former co-workers on social media may want to review copies of their employment contracts to make sure they don't risk getting sued for violating a "non-compete" clause, even if they never directly seek to poach talent to join them in their new venture or come to work for their new employer.

The Illinois General Assembly recently ended a two-year budget stalemate by overriding Gov. Bruce Rauner's veto of a proposed spending plan that included a 32 percent income tax increase. But just how much the tax increase will persuade Illinois voters to toss out of office the primarily Democratic lawmakers who promoted and voted for the tax hike remains an open question.