WBEZ 91.5 Chicago

Illinois has a new U.S. senator. Republican Mark Kirk was sworn in Monday evening by Vice President Joe Biden. After administering the oath of office, Biden embraced Kirk and said, "Congratulations, senator. Welcome."With that, Kirk - a five-term member of the U.S.

Illinois U.S. Sen. Roland Burris says it's "unacceptable" there will soon be no black Americans serving in the Senate.

Federal dollars are on the way for the design of a new air traffic control tower at O'Hare International Airport. But nothing is in the pipeline for a third airport that's been long-proposed for the Chicago area.Illinois U.S. Senator Dick Durbin said the recession has slowed down that discussion.

The Federal Aviation Administration is committing $3.4 million to the design of a new air traffic control tower at O'Hare Airport.U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced the grant for the design of a South Air Traffic Control Tower, as part of the O'Hare Modernization Program.

Illinois U.S. Senator Dick Durbin admits Democrats took a beating in last week's election. Republicans became the majority of representatives in the U.S. House.

Republicans picked up enough seats in the midterm elections to win back the House. But the Senate is still run by the Democrats. That might make President Obama’s job easier – he’ll face a divided Congress as he tackles future items on his agenda.

By nearly every measure, the GOP had a big night on Tuesday.  But what about things closer to home?  Who were the big winners and losers in Illinois?That's where things get much more interesting.