An Illinois anti-cyberbullying law that took effect Jan. 1 has the awkward side effect of allowing school districts in the state to demand their students' social media passwords so they can investigate suspected violations of school rules.

In a lawsuit filed by Regina Janito, the mother alleges two men dressed as clowns terrorized her and her family during a visit to the Massacre Haunted House in Montgomery, Ill. She accuses one of the clowns of "violently" poking her daughter with a purple vibrator while the other simulated oral sex on a teddy bear with another vibrator strapped to its crotch.

Have pity on those who are traveling today: a fire set by an FAA contractor at an air traffic control center in the Chicago suburbs has stopped all traffic at O'Hare and Midway Airports, canceling at least 850 flights.

We've all been there: You're trying to have a romantic time with that special someone of yours, but something isn't right. The phone keeps ringing, or it takes too long to find a condom, or you're having sex on top of dead bodies and it's like, hey, I'm no prude but this is a little weird, right?

On Saturday, Jason Moore walked into Fifth Quarter Sports Bar and Pizzeria in East Peoria, Ill., pulled out a gun, and shot his ex-wife and her new boyfriend in the head. Lori Moore and Lance Griffel (above) were there for Moore's 15-year high school reunion, and at least 100 fellow attendees witnessed the killings.

Second Amendment Man is stunned to learn that a concealed carry permit doesn't let him take his gun out and point it at people he's mad at, then hide it from the cops.

We already know that Dan Rutherford, Illinois Treasurer and Republican candidate for governor, took his 28-year-old assistant on several overseas adventures and “double-occupied” hotel rooms on trips to New York and Washington. In fact, that was just a fraction of their time together.

Since announcing his run for governor, Illinois Treasurer Dan Rutherford has been fighting rumors he's gay and sexually inappropriate with his male staffers. Those rumors worsened today after his key accuser revealed his identity and filed a detail-rich civil rights suit in federal court.

The Chicago Sun-Times reports that Illinois Treasurer Dan Rutherford, an unmarried 58-year-old and Republican candidate for governor, took an unprecedented number of international trips with his 28-year-old assistant, Joshua Lanning. Both men, pictured above in Israel, drew taxpayer-funded salaries during their overseas adventures. Now Rutherford is facing sexual harassment charges from a mystery (and male) staffer.

An Illinois woman was arrested last week after she secretly returned to the home of her ex-boyfriend and allegedly set up a series of deadly booby traps around the house.

[Six-month-old puppy Dexter was reunited with his owner, Guardsman Spc. Jacob Montgomery, nine days after a tornado destroyed their apartment in Washington, Ill. Buried in the rubble, Dexter was found by a neighbor and coaxed out with hot dogs. Photo by Illinois National Guard via AP]

[Vernita Gray, left, and Patricia Ewert hold their Illinois marriage license after they were married in Chicago on Wednesday. While the state's gay marriage law takes effect in June 2014, the couple was granted an expedited marriage license because Gray is terminally ill. Photo by Charles Rex Arbogast via AP]

A District Court judge has ordered that a terminally ill woman be issued a marriage license immediately so she can marry her same-sex partner.

[Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn signs the state's Religious Freedom and Marriage Fairness Act into law during ceremonies on Wednesday in Chicago. The bill, which won't take effect until June 1, makes Illinois the 16th state to legalize same-sex marriage. Photo by Charles Rex Arbogast via AP]

A severe storm system slammed the Midwest yesterday, killing at least six people and injuring dozens more throughout Illinois, Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, and Missouri. "The devastation is just unbelievable," Gary Manier, the mayor of Washington, Illinois, told Reuters. "I can't imagine people walked away from these places."

[A news cameraman shoots video of an auto parts store destroyed by a tornado in Washington, Ill., on Sunday. Tornadoes in the Midwest killed at least six people and injured at least 37 during Sunday's destructive storms. Photo by David Mercer via AP]

The Illinois House just passed a bill legalizing same-sex marriage. The bill now heads to the Senate, which already passed the measure, for a technical change to its effective date. Governor Pat Quinn has pledged to sign the bill into law, thus making Illinois the 15th state (including D.C.) to recognize gay marriage.

After last week’s announcement that Krokodil had made its way to suburban Chicago, two sisters have confirmed that they are two of the five people being treated at the Presence St. Joseph Medical Center in Joliet for complications from the drug.

The United States ostensibly offers a free public education to every student who wants one. The reality is different. What you see above—originally published this week on Clashtalk, Gawker's community Kinja site, by an outraged parent—is part of a "fee slip" for a public high school in Park Ridge, Ill. (the full image is below). The parent in question owes $586.25 in mandatory fees for her daughter to attend tenth grade. Why?

Police who arrived at the home of a Illinois man to investigate claims of battery and attempted indecent solicitation of a child ended up tacking on an additional charge: Sexual abuse of a pet peacock.