Steel manufacturer shutters Illinois plant, takes 100 jobs to Indiana
Steel manufacturer shutters Illinois plant, takes 100 jobs to Indiana
Alliance Steel Corp. will move 100 jobs to Gary, Indiana, with plans to add 30 more.
Happy 200th Birthday, Illinois
Happy 200th Birthday, Illinois
Carterville passes largest property tax hike in city history to pay for pensions
Carterville passes largest property tax hike in city history to pay for pensions
Pension costs now consume nearly 70 percent of the city’s annual property tax levy. It may not be enough.
DAILY LINKS / 12.9.2018
Chicago Tribune: Geneva teachers, school district remain at impasse; federal mediator to join Sunday negotiating session Northwest Herald: Residents voice opinions on proposed Woodstock TIF district at hearing Rockford Register-Star: Rockford plans road, infrastructure improvements citywide Champaign News-Gazette: 'Top secret' doesn't cut it Champaign News-Gazette: Class-size caps were a sticking point in Unit 4 contract talksChicago anticipated to be nation’s weakest major housing market in 2019
Chicago anticipated to be nation’s weakest major housing market in 2019
A study by realtor.com ranks the Chicago region’s housing market slowest of 100 U.S. metro areas for 2019. That stat could be fixed, or made worse.
Happy birthday: The solution that never was to Illinois’ pension crisis
Happy birthday: The solution that never was to Illinois’ pension crisis
Illinoisans should know lawmakers in the past made big moves to fix the state's worst-in-the-nation pension crisis. It’s politically possible. They just need a little reminder of our history.
Rock Island County hikes property taxes by nearly 12 percent
Rock Island County hikes property taxes by nearly 12 percent
County board members narrowly voted to hike the county’s property tax levy by nearly 12 percent to make up for a $500,000 shortfall.
Geneva teachers union strike leaves 5,800 students in the lurch
Geneva teachers union strike leaves 5,800 students in the lurch
Six years after last threatening to strike, the teachers union walked the picket line – a collective bargaining tactic not allowed in any of Illinois’ neighboring states.
Springfield Satanic Statue
Springfield Satanic Statue
Repeal Day: Illinois’ sobering alcohol taxes, regulations a reminder of Prohibition
Repeal Day: Illinois’ sobering alcohol taxes, regulations a reminder of Prohibition
With the ratification of the 21st Amendment, 1933 marked the end of Prohibition in the United States. The Land of Lincoln, however, has continued to serve a cocktail of prohibitive regulations on alcoholic beverages.
Speaker of Christmas Future
Speaker of Christmas Future
Madison County makes history with generous taxpayer support of museum
Madison County makes history with generous taxpayer support of museum
Most county historical societies in Illinois rely on donations and memberships, but the Madison County Historical Society receives a generous infusion of tax dollars to run its museum and library. County leaders just cut the total, but why do they provide taxpayer support at all?
Highland Park to hike property tax levy nearly $1M to pay for pensions
Highland Park to hike property tax levy nearly $1M to pay for pensions
Citing public safety pension costs, the city is expected to approve another increase to its property tax levy.
Illinois Supreme Court defends inflated pensions for Chicago union leaders
Illinois Supreme Court defends inflated pensions for Chicago union leaders
Once again proving why the state must amend the Illinois Constitution’s pension clause, the court unanimously ruled in favor of a special perk that inflated union leader pensions to nearly three times the pension of the average worker.