Illinois’ comeback story starts here.

How Bruce Rauner can stop the bleeding

The governor-elect could deliver a blow to Illinois’ pension woes, with or without SB 1, by pushing for 401(k)-style plans.

By Benjamin VanMetre

Quote of the day, November 13

Gas stations sue Chicago over arbitrary “flavored tobacco” restrictions

Government has plenty of tools at its disposal to fight teen smoking. Arbitrarily banning products based on geography shouldn’t be one of them.

By Bryant Jackson-Green

Quote of the day, November 12

Pensions case study: North Riverside

Illinois’ municipal pension shortfall, excluding Chicago, has spiked to more than $12 billion from $1 billion just a decade ago.

By Benjamin VanMetre

State must triple enrollment to approach original ObamaCare goal

In order to meet its original enrollment goal of 692,000 enrollments for 2015, Illinois would need to more than double its previous enrollment during the upcoming open enrollment period, thus tripling total enrollment.

By Naomi Lopez Bauman

Recession-era job losses

Some sectors of Illinois' economy have recovered completely, while others remain dramatically below pre recession levels.

Quote of the day, November 11

Federal judge approves Detroit pension cuts

A federal judge approved Detroit’s historic Chapter 9 bankruptcy, allowing the city to shave off $7 billion in liabilities from a total debt of $18 billion.

By Benjamin VanMetre