AAA

Elgin taxpayers contribute almost 3 times more to pensions than city employees

By Benjamin VanMetre
07/17/2014
Local pension crises are severely affecting cities, towns and villages across Illinois. Even local governments that have a good track record with transparency and high credit scores are struggling to pay for pensions. Take the AAA-rated city of Elgin, for example. To get its pension system’s funding level up to par, the city would have...

TAGS: Elgin

Chicago gas prices $0.53 higher than national average

By Hilary Gowins
07/03/2014
Just as travelers prepare to hit the road to celebrate Independence Day weekend, national gas prices have risen to levels not seen since 2008. And though prices have dropped slightly in Chicago, the price for a gallon of gas is still higher than it was last year, according to AAA. Today, the average price per...

Chicago drivers gouged at the pump this Memorial Day weekend

By Hilary Gowins
05/23/2014
An estimated 32 million drivers will hit the road this Memorial Day weekend, according to AAA. And those leaving from the Chicago area will feel much more pain at the pump. The national average for a gallon of gas is $3.65. In Illinois, the average price per gallon is $3.83. But the average price per...

TAGS: gas tax

National gas prices average $3 or more for 1,000th straight day

By Hilary Gowins
09/17/2013
Today marks the 1,000th day in a row the national average price for a gallon of gas was $3 or more. And AAA forecasts the national average will remain above $3 per gallon for at least another thousand days barring a major economic recession. “Paying less than $3 per gallon for gasoline may be automotive history for...

Chicago: highest gas prices of any major U.S. metro area

By Hilary Gowins
09/10/2013
Chicago has the highest gas prices of any major metropolitan area in the United States. A gallon of gas is now $4.06 on average in Chicago; the national average is $3.56. Though outside factors influence the raw price of gas, one of the reasons Chicago’s prices are consistently among the most expensive in the nation is the additional...

TAGS: gas tax

Illinois’ seemingly endless appetite: another $1.3 billion borrowing

06/27/2013
by Ted Dabrowski As if Illinois didn’t have enough debt to deal with, the state borrowed another $1.3 billion. The state says it needs the money for infrastructure projects. Illinois tapped the bond markets despite the current fallout from the state’s failure to reform pensions and the recent bond market instability, which drove states like...
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Pathway to a Profession: How Apprenticeships Could Reshape Illinois’ Beauty Service Industry

Occupational licensing requirements present one of the steepest barriers to low-income Illinoisans starting careers in beauty services. Illinois requires anyone seeking to become a barber, cosmetologist, nail technician or hair braider to obtain a state license, essentially a permission slip to work. Unlike 45 other states, Illinois offers only one pathway to licensure for each...

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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