* A road to compensation opens in wrongful conviction cases

Former Illinois inmates exonerated of wrongdoing now have another recourse after enduring long delays for clemency decisions by the governor.

Lawyers at Northwestern University’s Center on Wrongful Convictions plan to take advantage Wednesday of a new law that allows the exonerated to circumvent the governor and file for certificates of innocence directly from circuit courts.

* Rosemont’s casino bet tops foes by $210 mil.

* Rosemont bid for casino nearly double Waukegan’s

* Rosemont bid for casino license at $435 million

* Seven Illinois Cities Vie for 10th Casino License

* A breakdown of the companies’ bids for the license

* Illinois section of natural-gas pipeline about halfway complete

It’s over budget and behind schedule, but a natural-gas pipeline that will stretch from the Rocky Mountains to eastern Ohio is well under way in Illinois.

Construction is about halfway finished in Illinois, where three firms that are partnering to build the 1,679-mile Rockies Express Pipeline — one of the longest in the nation — expect to spend $1 billion on the state’s portion, pipeline officials said during a Wednesday tour of the construction. By April, the pipeline should be delivering gas here, they said.

* Tribune may alter Cubs deal

Tribune Co. is considering retaining a larger ownership stake in the Chicago Cubs, said sources involved in the deal, as the company explores options to sell the team amid the nation’s worst financial conditions in decades.

With banks reluctant to make loans, Tribune Co. faces increasing risk of prospective buyers dropping out of the auction or being unable to close a deal in the next few months no matter how creditworthy they are. In addition, the higher costs of borrowing could trim the size of the bids.

To address some of the concerns, company officials have tossed out the idea of keeping more than 5 percent of the franchise, said three sources close to the bidding process. In this way, the buyer would have to come up with less cash but still gain controlling interest in the team. When lending markets open up, the buyer would have the option to buy Tribune Co.’s ownership interest.

“Things are very fluid right now,” said a source close to one bidder, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the sales process is ongoing. “Tribune is looking for ways to get the deal done.”

* Cook County hospitals’ total cost: $1.1 billion

The $1.1 billion figure represents what the hospitals system is seeking from the Cook County Board and President Todd H. Stroger. When pension and other costs currently being carried on the county’s books, rather than the hospitals books, are subtracted, the budget is roughly $1 billion.

* Cook forest preserve budget has no tax increase

* U of C Committed to Milton Friedman Institute

* Challengers seek changes in state’s attorney’s offices

The top prosecutors in Lake and McHenry Counties face November election challengers who are upset with the status quo for very different reasons.

In Lake County, Democrat Michael Jacobs is making his second straight run at Republican State’s Atty. Michael Waller, claiming the 18-year incumbent hasn’t done enough to protect the public from sexual predators.

In McHenry County, Thomas Cynor, also a Democrat, claims Republican State’s Atty. Louis Bianchi has done too much when it comes to personnel issues.

* Google Answers the iPhone