Chicago

Look past the faces of Illinois corruption to see the larger problem

By Amy Korte
12/02/2019
Focus too much on single aspects of Illinois corruption and the big picture will be lost, along with chances to fix the problems.

TAGS: Chicago, ComEd, corruption, Danny Solis, Ed Burke, ethics, ethics task force, federal investigation, ILGA: Illinois General Assembly, Illinois, lawmakers, leadership, Legislative Inspector General, lobbying, Luis Arroyo, Martin Sandoval, revolving door, Rod Blagojevich, watchdog

Chicago’s 2020 budget proposal was never truly balanced

By Adam Schuster, Bill Reveille
11/26/2019
Faced with the impossible task of balancing Chicago’s budget without pension reform, Mayor Lori Lightfoot is forced to partially rely on phantom cuts and revenues.

TAGS: bonds, budget, CAFR: Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, Chicago, Chicago City Council, Chicago City Hall, constitutional amendment, CTA: Chicago Transit Authority, CTU: Chicago Teachers Union, deficit, emergency fee, homelessness, housing market, ILGA: Illinois General Assembly, interest rates, library, Lori Lightfoot, Lyft, property taxes, Rahm Emanuel, real estate, real estate transfer tax, tax hikes, tax increase, TIF: Tax Increment Financing, Uber

Illinois cellphone taxes are highest in nation, average $374 a year

By Brad Weisenstein
11/18/2019
Taxes alone hike the average Illinois cellphone bill by 31%.

TAGS: 911 fee, 911 tax, cell phone tax, Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Chicago, Connecticut, constitutional amendment, emergency fee, excise tax, exit tax, Illinois, Illinois Constitution, JB Pritzker, Lori Lightfoot, middle class, municipal pensions, pensions, progressive income tax, Rahm Emanuel, sales tax, taxes, wireless tax

Where you can and can’t buy recreational marijuana in Illinois

11/15/2019
Many Illinois municipalities have voted to ban or restrict marijuana sales when it becomes legal for sale. Here’s a list of where pot will, won’t and might be legally bought.

TAGS: Arlington Heights, Bolingbrook, Buffalo Grove, cannabis, Carbondale, Carol Stream, Chicago, City of Springfield, collar counties, Collinsville, Danville, Decatur, Downers Grove, DuPage County, Edwardsville, Elmhurst, Grayslake, Highland Park, Joliet, Lake Forest, Lake Zurich, legalization, Libertyville, Lombard, marijuana, Mundelein, municipal government, Naperville, Northbrook, Oak Park, Plainfield, prohibition, Schaumburg, Urbana, Waukegan, Wheaton, Winnetka

Former Chicago official had side job with red-light camera company

11/15/2019
The former deputy aviation commissioner had an undisclosed position as a sales representative for SafeSpeed LLC. The red-light camera vendor keeps emerging in federal probes.

TAGS: Board of Ethics, Chicago, Chicago Board of Ethics, Chicago City Hall, Chicago Department of Aviation, Cook County, Cook County commissioner, department of aviation, federal investigation, IDOT: Illinois Department of Transportation, ILGA: Illinois General Assembly, investigation, Jim Edgar, Martin Sandoval, red light cameras, SafeSpeed, Springfield

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4 ways to break out of Illinois’ pension trap

Causes, costs, how to set the state free

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Diana Graham

Process for unionizing non-state workers raises red flags

By Paul Kersey
06/19/2014

CBS Chicago: Illinois’ highest-paid superintendent receives $400K per year to oversee 1,200 students

By Ted Dabrowski
05/02/2016