Press Room

Analysis of Gov. Quinn’s Budget Address

John Tillman and Ralph Martire join Carol Marin on Chicago Tonight to analyze Gov. Pat Quinn’s annual budget address.

Quinn’s State of State: Pension Analysis

John Tillman, Kristen McQueary and Ralph Martire join Carol Marin on Chicago Tonight to analyze Gov. Pat Quinn’s state of the state address.

1-in-3 Illinois Residents Living At or Near Poverty

Ted Dabrowski of the Illinois Policy Institute on the continued fiscal problems in the Land of Lincoln.

Pension Reform Analysis

John Tillman, Anders Lindall and Madeleine Doubek join Carol Marin on Chicago Tonight to provide analysis of the Nekritz-Biss pension fix passed by an Illinois House committee in the final days of the lame-duck session.

Orland Park, Tinley Park, Homer Glen get high grades for transparent government

By Dennis Sullivan Village government in Orland Park, Tinley Park and Homer Glen get high marks for transparency, according to a spokesman for the fiscally-conservative Illinois Policy Institute. The institute examines and grades the websites of local villages, schools and other taxing districts on how clearly they present information about village board and committee meetings,...

Food Trucks Must Pay Their Share, Too

In Evanston, Ill., Chicago’s neighbor to the north, you can’t operate a food truck at all unless you also own a brick-and-mortar restaurant. Like Chicago’s restrictions, this rule exists for one reason: to protect restaurants from competition. That’s why the Liberty Justice Center filed a lawsuit this week challenging Evanston’s law in the Cook County...

Food truck owners sue for right to sell in Evanston

By Brian L. Cox James Nuccio and Gabriel Wiesen want to sell gourmet doughnuts and coffee from their colorful food truck on the streets of Evanston. But a 2010 ordinance only allows businesses that have “bricks and mortar” restaurants in Evanston to venture onto city streets with a food truck. Nuccio and Wiesen, the owners...

A road map to transparency

When Lombard Village Trustee Peter Breen was elected in April 2011, he made transparency in village government a priority. It’s no wonder then that Lombard now is a model for the rest of the state. Only when our government leaders emphasize the importance of transparency in all they do will taxpayers truly benefit. It’s simple...