Source: The Sacramento Bee

http://www.sacbee.com/24hour/nation/story/1272402p-8359116c.html

On April 7, 2004 The Sacramento Bee reported, "A delegation of Illinois officials apologized to leaders of the Mormon Church on Wednesday for the 1844 murder of the church's founder and the expulsion of Mormons from Illinois. Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn and others made the trip to Utah a week after the Illinois House approved a resolution expressing regret for violence against Mormons, including the slaying of Joseph Smith Jr., founder of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 'There was a chapter in our history that we are not proud of,' Quinn said after meeting privately with church leaders and Utah officials, including Gov. Olene Walker. Quinn said he hoped the gesture would make Mormons feel welcome in Illinois. Each year, about 350,000 Mormons visit Nauvoo, Ill., where Smith settled, and about 51,000 Mormons now live in Illinois."