With risky debt deals draining money from Chicago’s cash-strapped public school system, advocacy groups are calling on local officials to try to get some of that money back.

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel dismissed the idea in remarks to reporters last month, declaring that “there’s a thing called a contract.” But other bodies that signed contracts in similar situations have, in fact, succeeded in clawing back losses, with banks repaying millions of dollars to governments that issued the same kind of problematic auction-rate debt Chicago’s school system did.

Those borrowers argued that they signed contracts based on misrepresentations by bank officials who failed to disclose that the banks were propping up the auction-rate market, leaving it vulnerable to collapse. When that collapse occurred, in early 2008, governments — including Chicago Public Schools — were charged punishing interest rates.

Just as millions of people are gaining insurance through Medicaid, the program is poised to make deep cuts in payments to many doctors, prompting some physicians and consumer advocates to warn that the reductions could make it more difficult for Medicaid patients to obtain care.

The Affordable Care Act provided a big increase in Medicaid payments for primary care in 2013 and 2014. But the increase expires on Thursday — just weeks after the Obama administration told the Supreme Court that doctors and other providers had no legal right to challenge the adequacy of payments they received from Medicaid.

The impact will vary by state, but a study by theUrban Institute, a nonpartisan research organization, estimates that doctors who have been receiving the enhanced payments will see their fees for primary care cut by 43 percent, on average.

Few issues in a presidential campaign come close to being as meaningful as the economy. The latest Associated Press-GfK poll offers a look at how the public feels about this issue, which touches nearly every aspect of American life. As the 2016 candidates get set to kick off their campaigns, here are five things to know about public opinion on the economy.

The economy, writ large, has been America’s top policy priority for the entirety of Barack Obama’s presidency, despite the slowly building recovery and the recent skyrocketing stock market. But focusing on this overall concern masks a distinction that matters to many Americans. Though negative perceptions of the economy overall are down compared with four years ago (57 percent describe it as “poor” compared with 83 percent who did in November 2010), Americans’ ratings of their own finances are actually a bit worse than they were back then (38 percent describe their household’s finances as poor, up from 30 percent in 2010). Young Americans, under age 30, have an exceptionally negative take on their finances, with nearly half describing them as poor.

Drivers, fill ‘er up.

Gas prices have dropped across the country to the lowest level in five years. And at some suburban gas stations, prices have fallen below $2 a gallon.

Josh Deleon was testing driving a BMW four-door when his car salesman spotted the bargain and asked him to pull into the Thorntons. Deleon, who lives in Chicago’s Logan Square neighborhood, called it a deal compared to the $3-plus he pays in the city.

The Naperville Municipal Band is set to head south next summer to tell its story through tunes and share a glimpse of Naperville with some music-loving Texans.

The band is making plans for 85 of its 90 members to travel to San Antonio from July 23 through 26 for the Texas Bandmasters Convention, a 68th annual gathering of band directors and music industry leaders that’s expected to draw more than 6,500 people.

Ron Keller, Naperville Municipal Band director, said his group was asked to perform because convention organizers want to highlight community bands as the next step in music education for those who do not play professionally. Often, Keller said, convention performers are high-profile groups such as U.S. Air Force Band of the West orCanadian Brass, or Texas-based groups such as Austin Symphonic Band.

For the most outrageous government scam of 2014, it’s hard to compete with the news of the supersized public employee pensions in California.

If you haven’t already heard: an assistant fire chief in Southern California collected a $983,319 pension last year, and a Los Angeles police captain took home nearly $753,861.

Talk about a golden parachute.

The report on Golden State government pensions contains a list that runs for pages of hundreds of “public servants” who hit the jackpot with annual pensions of half a million a year.

The lights glitter on Christmas trees in homes, town squares, and shopping malls throughout the nation. Hanukkah candles burned brightly until earlier this week. It has long been true that these religious holidays have morphed into occasions for a plethora of gifts, a dieter’s nightmare, and a time of material plenty, as we are urged to consume and business even tells us that our economy depends on strong sales during the holiday “shopping season.”

Yet, rich as America is, this is not a season of plenty for much of the population. About 51 million American households— 44% of them, or nearly 134 million Americans — are either in debt or have only enough money saved to pay for up to three months or less of modest expenses. The typical American household has $56,000 in assets, but that obscures the fact that 20 to 25% of American households have “negative net worth,” while the country’s 16,000 wealthiest families hold $6 trillion in assets.

Despite the aura of festivity, debt hangs like a dark cloud over too many Americans. Like Bob Cratchit in Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, the 134 million Americans who are “liquid asset poor” can neither afford a turkey on the dinner table nor gifts under the tree, at least without going deeper into debt. And that’s what we as a country have done. While median assets have declinedsince the 2008 recession and are below those of 18 other countries, median household debt has nearly tripled during the last 20 years and Americans’ median household debt has exceeded their income from 2004 to 2013.

A law that takes effect next week will allow Illinois school districts to punish students for cyberbullying, even if it occurs outside of school.

Currently, districts may take action against students if online bullying — such as something posted on Twitter or Facebook — occurs during the school day or using district-owned technology. Starting Jan. 1, schools will be able to discipline students for any electronic bullying that disrupts the school day, The(Champaign) News-Gazette reported.