Blacker Friday: Illinois shoppers face sales tax hit
Blacker Friday: Illinois shoppers face sales tax hit
Holiday shoppers are eager to spend this year. Illinois is overly eager to tax them.
Illinois students could boost ACT scores with scholarships
Illinois students could boost ACT scores with scholarships
Federal scholarships could give low-income students access to ACT tutors and study materials to help them improve on the college exam.
Record Illinois Thanksgiving traffic paying record gas taxes
Record Illinois Thanksgiving traffic paying record gas taxes
Thanksgiving travel will set a record in Illinois and in the U.S. Illinois drivers will pay the nation’s second-highest gas taxes, thanks to Gov. J.B. Pritzker.
Feds demand Chicago Teachers Union release audits
Feds demand Chicago Teachers Union release audits
The Chicago Teachers Union's secrecy and potential financial shenanigans have drawn the attention of the U.S. Congress.
1-in-4 Illinois students absent in 2025
1-in-4 Illinois students absent in 2025
One-in-four Illinois public school students were chronically absent in the 2024-2025 school year. It is contributing to Illinois’ low academic proficiency.
Illinois lawmakers again push disguised ‘retirement tax’
Illinois lawmakers again push disguised ‘retirement tax’
Illinois voters soundly rejected a progressive state income tax because it was a path to tax retirees. That isn’t stopping state lawmakers from trying again.
Illinois can’t afford to miss out on 10,000 extra homes
Illinois can’t afford to miss out on 10,000 extra homes
Families rely on single-family homes. Illinois must relax zoning laws and lower minimum lot sizes to make them more affordable statewide.
Chicago Teachers Union radicalism is officially statewide
Chicago Teachers Union radicalism is officially statewide
Chicago Teachers Union President Stacy Davis Gates is bringing her militant agenda to 200 more school districts as president of the Illinois Federation of Teachers.
Illinois halts federal tax credits intended to boost business
Illinois halts federal tax credits intended to boost business
Illinois state lawmakers are severing new federal business tax cuts. Their quest to keep more cash will cost the state in business competitiveness.
5 ways to end Chicago’s stagnant growth
5 ways to end Chicago’s stagnant growth
High taxes, red tape and fiscal mismanagement have stalled Chicago’s economy, but smart reform could get it growing again.
Illinois police pensions lock up local property taxes
Illinois police pensions lock up local property taxes
Across Illinois, police pensions are taking an ever-greater share of property tax dollars, leaving fewer resources for public safety.
Small lots lower Illinois housing prices, even for big homes
Small lots lower Illinois housing prices, even for big homes
A Lombard housing project shows how smaller lots can lower costs, boost development and help Illinois address its housing shortage.
Taxpayers pay $23.6M for Chicago Public Schools vacations
Taxpayers pay $23.6M for Chicago Public Schools vacations
Chicago Public Schools employees spent $23.6 million in tax dollars on lavish vacations at 5-star hotels and overseas trips. Much of it was without approval.
Chicago business activity drops for 23rd straight month
Chicago business activity drops for 23rd straight month
A barometer of business health shows Chicago is close to marking two years of decline. The city’s employment rate lags the nation.