Firefighters from across Illinois gathered at the State Capitol in Springfield for their annual ceremony on May 9 to honor those who have lost their lives in public service. The Capitol was surrounded by fire trucks from near and far.

 The ceremony was held in the rotunda of the Illinois State Capitol due to weather conditions instead of its usual location by the Illinois Firefighter Despite the change in location, the firefighter brotherhood was a big presence in the Capitol.

Read more: Firefighter Memorial 2013 (VIDEO)

You may have read in the news that Illinois tax burden is driving businesses from the state. But a new report using unbiased facts and figures released this week shows that business taxes in Illinois are below the national average:

According to the Anderson Economic Group, Illinois ranks 20th of the 50 states and District of Columbia in its business tax burden, defined as the share of pre-tax operating margin that a firm has to pay out in combined state and local taxes.

Read more: Study: Illinois has below-average business-tax burden

For the last twenty-three years, the Illinois Computing Educators have helped bring legislators, educators and students together under the capitol dome in Springfield for educational demonstrations highlighting the advances students have made with technology and computing. 
 
The day is highly anticipated amongst legislators and serves as a chance to interact with schools and students.

This years Tech Day brought 58 schools from around the state to the Capitol.  Downstate, suburban and city schools presented projects related to robotics, graphic design and video/audio production, to name a few.

Read more: Tech Day 2013 (VIDEO)

A measure under consideration by the Senate would put appointed members of government entities under the same ethics restrictions as elected officials. The legislation — House Bill 2925 — stems from a 2012 finding that appointed trustees of a northern Cook County sanitary district had overpaid themselves by $264,000.

The Cook County Inspector General's office investigated trustees of the Northfield Woods Sanitary District and found that from 2008 to 2011, three of them had hired themselves for jobs to inflate their salaries beyond the normal $6,000 per year. According to the measure's Senate sponsor, the disparity in ethics rules is to blame.

Read more: Bill would level ethics playing field for appointed, elected officials

State Senator Linda Holmes (D - Aurora) gives a brief update on the status of Senate Bill 2404, a pension reform measure currently working its way through the Senate.