Pension buyout extension passes, forecast to save $1.4 billion
Pension buyout extension passes, forecast to save $1.4 billion
Renewing the state pension buyout for two years means flexibility for retirees and savings for the state.
Pritzker vs. taxpayers
Pritzker vs. taxpayers
A sudden loss gave him motivation to reshape his community
A sudden loss gave him motivation to reshape his community
Kevon Williams does workforce and community work on his native West Side of Chicago.
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Counties urge Pritzker to say yes to donor funds for students
Counties urge Pritzker to say yes to donor funds for students
Thirteen county boards to date have adopted resolutions pushing for the governor to opt into a donor-funded federal program for academic needs.
‘We are our own medicine’: Austin community groups take development into their own hands
‘We are our own medicine’: Austin community groups take development into their own hands
Clabe Johnson wants to instill a sense of community in the neighborhood’s young men.
Will new state budget skirt law meant to protect transportation money?
Will new state budget skirt law meant to protect transportation money?
Year after year the state budget has diverted money meant for transportation to pay the bills. It’s a good bet the fiscal 2027 budget will do it again.
Pritzker budget gives NASCAR, PGA up to $9 million in taxpayer money
Pritzker budget gives NASCAR, PGA up to $9 million in taxpayer money
The proposed Illinois budget gives money to NASCAR and PGA as lawmakers weigh a Bears stadium tax break, putting taxpayers on the hook for private sports costs.
Pritzker’s proposed budget shorts pensions by $5.4 billion
Pritzker’s proposed budget shorts pensions by $5.4 billion
Actuaries say Illinois needs to put in $17 billion a year to fix the plans, but the 2027 plan calls for far less.
Pathway to a Profession: How Apprenticeships Could Reshape Illinois’ Beauty Service Industry
Pathway to a Profession: How Apprenticeships Could Reshape Illinois’ Beauty Service Industry
Occupational licensing requirements present one of the steepest barriers to low-income Illinoisans starting careers in beauty services. Illinois requires anyone seeking to become a barber, cosmetologist, nail technician or hair braider to obtain a state license, essentially a permission slip to work. Unlike 45 other states, Illinois offers only one pathway to licensure for each...
Illinois budget proposes $200,000 to redefine ‘low income’
Illinois budget proposes $200,000 to redefine ‘low income’
The proposed state budget would pay to develop a new definition in the face of federal changes to the SNAP program.
Tax hike threat looms as Illinois budget deadline nears
Tax hike threat looms as Illinois budget deadline nears
They are signaling a willingness to raise taxes as the May 31 deadline quickly approaches.
New data: Illinois homeowners pay country’s highest property taxes
New data: Illinois homeowners pay country’s highest property taxes
The state again had the highest residential property tax rate in the U.S. in 2024, tied with New Jersey.
Lawmakers pass bill creating apprenticeships for beauty professions
Lawmakers pass bill creating apprenticeships for beauty professions
Under the measure, aspiring barbers, cosmetologists and others would have a path to a license that doesn’t require expensive schooling.