According to the Illinois Department of Central Management Services, the deadline for submitting documentation for the State of Illinois Retiree Group has been extended to Friday, Dec. 6, because of the federal government shutdown. There is no need for anyone in this group to request an extension prior to Friday, Oct. 25. Members of the...

Today marks Day 14 of the partial shutdown of the federal government. Congress and the Obama administration remain at an impasse over how to handle funding the government and raising the debt ceiling. These two issues now are intertwined, and any potential resolution will likely involve both issues. Two major factors are expected to move Congress...

The government shutdown has put in jeopardy the upcoming field season for the U.S. Antarctic Program – a potentially major blow to dozens of research projects nationwide, including a large-scale expedition investigating ice sheet dynamics and climate change and to be led by NIU geologist Ross Powell. The National Science Foundation (NSF) is likely to cancel...

With less than an hour to go before the federal government would have been forced to shut down everything except “essential” services operated by “essential” personnel last Friday, Congress and President Obama agreed to a one-week Continuing Resolution (CR), set to expire Friday, April 15. This short-term CR was needed to allow the House of...