Pensions make Illinois property taxes among nation’s most painful
Pensions make Illinois property taxes among nation’s most painful
Any meaningful property tax relief for Illinoisans means reforming Illinois’ unsustainable public pension system.
Chicago Ald. Willie Cochran to plead guilty to corruption charges
Chicago Ald. Willie Cochran to plead guilty to corruption charges
The South Side alderman had been charged with stealing charity donations to finance his daughter’s college tuition payments and casino getaways in Indiana, among other offences.
Chicago stopping more than 2,400 Airbnb hosts from listing their rooms
Chicago stopping more than 2,400 Airbnb hosts from listing their rooms
City bureaucracy – not consumer complaints – has left thousands of Chicago hosts barred from the Airbnb platform.
DAILY LINKS / 8.15.2018
State Journal-Register: Rauner makes changes to bill on Medicaid eligibility backlog Chicago Tribune: Chicago, don't ape New York's ride-share restrictions WBEZ: Chicago Charter Schools Risk Budget Cuts Without A Fix In Springfield WBEZ: A Midway Airport Restaurant Company Is Attracting Interest From The Feds Daily Herald: Voters rejected new school twice, but Dist. 200 board looks to build it anyway Daily Herald: Lake County Board members spar over advisory property tax referendum Peoria Journal-Star: A divided Lake County Board voted Tuesday to put a question on the Nov. 6 ballot asking if the General Assembly should ame State Journal-Register: City council holds off on crack filling contract because of local labor concernsNew Jersey school district stops deducting unconstitutional union fees from all employees
New Jersey school district stops deducting unconstitutional union fees from all employees
One school district in New Jersey has stopped deducting union dues and fees until it has new authorizations from employees to do so – a step in line with what the U.S. Supreme Court demanded of state and local government employers and government unions in Janus v. AFSCME. Illinois governments should follow suit.
Rauner signs bill lifting restrictions on craft breweries
Rauner signs bill lifting restrictions on craft breweries
Laws barring taprooms from serving hard cider – and craft beer produced by other breweries – are among the regulations bounced by House Bill 4897.
Retiring as early as age 50, Springfield municipal pensioners bank over $1M
Retiring as early as age 50, Springfield municipal pensioners bank over $1M
Among the 23 former city of Springfield employees who retired at age 50, five have accumulated more than $1 million in pension benefits.
Study: Red-light cameras fail to reduce traffic accidents
Study: Red-light cameras fail to reduce traffic accidents
A recent analysis confirms what many Illinoisans already know: While red-light cameras serve as reliable sources of revenue, they do not improve public safety.
Illinois property taxes heating up
Illinois property taxes heating up
Chicago police caught using ‘bait truck’ in South Side neighborhood
Chicago police caught using ‘bait truck’ in South Side neighborhood
In what critics have decried as an inappropriate use of scarce public safety resources, Chicago police officials parked a “bait truck” reportedly filled with boxes of Nike sneakers in the city’s Englewood neighborhood.
Missouri’s right-to-work vote: Boon or boondoggle?
Missouri’s right-to-work vote: Boon or boondoggle?
Without right-to-work protections currently offered in 27 states, you pay the union or lose your job. It’s very simple.
Shell game: Chicago considers plan to borrow $10B to pay off pension debt
Shell game: Chicago considers plan to borrow $10B to pay off pension debt
Previous pension obligation bonds in Illinois have increased costs to taxpayers and done nothing to solve the fiscal challenges created by the pension system.
Illinois state Sen. Dale Fowler pushes bill to undo ‘pension spiking’ restrictions
Illinois state Sen. Dale Fowler pushes bill to undo ‘pension spiking’ restrictions
Senate Bill 3622 would reverse recently passed restrictions on pension spiking, raising the cap on end-of-career salary increases to 6 percent from 3 percent.
30 years later: How Madigan kept the Cubs in the dark
30 years later: How Madigan kept the Cubs in the dark
Thirty years ago Aug. 8, the Chicago Cubs played their first game under lights at Wrigley Field – after first battling Chicago politicians for the right to do so.