by Amanda Griffin-Johnson Between September 2008 and August 2010, the Northfield Township High School District 225 received a $107,126 grant “to install a solar thermal energy system at Glenbrook High School at the new diving pool and athletic facility.” The grant (#09-022004) was part of the state’s Solar and Wind Energy Rebate Program, which is meant “to encourage utilization...
The Problem The World Shooting and Recreation Complex (WSRC) in Sparta, Illinois was completed in 2006 at a construction cost of $31.5 million (as well as another $18 million for road, water, and sewer improvement). The 1,600-acre facility includes 746 RV campsites, 120 trap shooting fields, and a 34,000 square foot events center. The state-funded...
by Amanda Griffin-Johnson The latest corruption scandal in Chicago, “Operation Crooked Code,” has resulted in the convictions of 21 people. Of the individuals convicted, 15 were city building and zoning inspectors. If you’ve never heard of the Crooked Code scandal, you are not alone. The Chicago Sun-Times explains: Despite those successful cases, Crooked Code hasn’t been as high-profile...
by Amanda Griffin-Johnson The state budget crisis has created mounting problems for the state government, from state credit ratings plummeting to vendors refusing state orders because of late payments. But this hasn’t stopped the spending. Earlier this month, Governor Quinn granted $50 million of new spending for job training projects, even though hospitals, schools, and non-profits are still waiting for...
by Amanda Griffin-Johnson Earlier this year, SB 3012 was signed into law and created a pilot project mandating that election authorities provide early voting sites on public university campuses in their jurisdiction. The project is only for the 2010 general election, but some county clerks have voiced their opposition to the mandate citing the high costs for small...
by Lee Williams Download a formatted version of this report, complete with a table of the Pittman-Robertson Act contracts awarded by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, here. SPRINGFIELD, IL.—The Illinois Department of Natural Resources is misappropriating millions of dollars that should have been earmarked for the state’s sportsmen. The Pittman-Robertson Act, an 11-percent federal tax on...
by Wesley Fox In 2009, the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity awarded a $79,000 to the Looking for Lincoln Heritage Coalition (search “Looking for Lincoln” – Grant #09337008). The Grant was awarded to “cover costs associated with hosting a Living History Program” that would include “costumed interpreters” to lead daily tours of historical locations around Springfield. According...
by Wesley Fox The Illinois Policy Institute has proposed greater transparency in taxpayer-funded lobbying, including reports on state and local government expenditures on lobbyists. The Daily Herald has found another good reason for transparency. According to the Daily Herald, the Regional Transit Authority (RTA), Chicago Transit Authority (CTA), Pace and Metra spent more than $12.8 million on...
Today’s Wall Street Journal carried a special report on how Medicare claims data can be used to root out suspected waste, fraud and abuse (like the NYC family-medicine physician who was flagged for pocketing more than $2 million in 2008 from Medicare thanks in part to administering an odd battery of tests). Earlier this year, we testified in favor of creating...
With Cook County being known nationwide for its levels of corruption you know it’s bad when Cook County State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez says that a case of corruption by Hanover Township’s former welfare services director, Aurea Picasso, “may be a new low in Cook County corruption.” “Assistant State’s Attorney Bill Conway said that as welfare...
by Wesley Fox In 2009 the Chicago Horticultural Society received a $250,000 grant from the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity “to assist in the development of the visitor interpretive features in the Daniel F. and Ada L. Rice Plant Conservation Science Center.” The Center is located at the Chicago Botanical Gardens. According to the DCEO Grant Tracker website (search Chicago...
Problem Do you wonder how busy downtown traffic is able to go and stop in Chicago? Is it because Chicago has traffic control aides in the streets? That’s up for debate. According to the City of Chicago’s website, traffic control aides assist in facilitating the movement of traffic; keeping intersections clear; allowing police to be...
by Amanda Griffin-Johnson In New Jersey, auditors concluded the New Jersey Turnpike Authority “wasted $43 million on unneeded perks and bonuses.” The audit found public funds were spent on an employee bowling league and an event for toll operators which “none of the authority’s employees actually attended.” In an egregious example highlighting the problems with the current compensation...
by Amanda Griffin-Johnson Between September 2008 and August 2010, the Spoon River Partnership for Economic Development in Canton, Illinois received a $40,000 grant as part of the Grant Management Program. This program allows the General Assembly and the Governor to give “grants to specific local governments, units of government, educational facilities and not-for-profit organizations…for specific purposes to bolster the State’s economy,...