These Illinois Halloween laws might scare you

By Austin Berg

10/18/2018

Scraping through a few hundred municipal codes in Illinois didn’t turn up any trick-or-treat ordinances allowing for jail time. But fines associated with age limits, curfews, masks and more were aplenty.

TAGS: Belleville, criminal justice reform, Decatur, overcriminalization

Rauner vetoes bill mandating $40,000 minimum salary for teachers statewide

By Eddie Damstra

08/27/2018

Dictating teachers’ salaries from Springfield would impose a costly mandate on local school districts and expose struggling homeowners across the state to property tax hikes.

TAGS: Bruce Rauner, salaries, school district consolidation, teacher salaries

Outgoing SIU president to receive $215K severance, new $100K job

07/24/2018

Southern Illinois University President Randy Dunn will receive a $215,000 severance package before taking a lucrative job at the university’s Edwardsville campus.

TAGS: Carbondale, golden parachute, Southern Illinois, Southern Illinois University

Illinois General Assembly passes bill mandating $40,000 minimum salary for teachers

By Eddie Damstra

06/04/2018

A bill that would raise the minimum salary for teachers to $40,000 now awaits Gov. Bruce Rauner’s signature.

TAGS: municipal pensions, pensions

Illinois’ southernmost counties see population losses in 2017

05/30/2018

As part of Illinois’ statewide population drop in 2017, southern Illinois counties saw a continuation of population losses they’ve been seeing for years.

TAGS: Alexander County, Jackson County, outmigration, population, property taxes, Southern Illinois, taxes, U.S. Census Bureau

Carbondale employees see raises despite deeply underwater pension funds

By Vincent Caruso

05/16/2018

As local leaders reach an agreement with the city’s public safety unions, the retirement security of Carbondale’s police and fire workers slides further out of reach.

TAGS: 401(k), budget, Carbondale, collective bargaining, contract, labor, pensions, property taxes, taxes, unions

Carbondale could lead on easing food truck regulations

05/11/2018

Though some of Illinois’ larger municipalities such as Chicago and Evanston have been overly restrictive in regulating food trucks, the Carbondale City Council has debated loosening them for its city, soliciting mixed opinions.

TAGS: Carbondale, food trucks, jobs, regulations

Lawmakers to homeowners: ‘You’ll get nothing and like it’

By Austin Berg

05/10/2018

In a matter of hours, Illinoisans saw bipartisan opposition to property tax relief and bipartisan support for higher property taxes.

TAGS: outmigration, Peter Breen, property taxes, Rita Mayfield, taxes, Tom Morrison

Illinois’ metro areas shed 3,600 jobs in March

By Bryce Hill

04/30/2018

Seven metro areas across the state lost jobs over the month.

TAGS: Bloomington, Champaign, Decatur, Elgin, IDES: Illinois Department of Employment Security, jobs, labor force participation rate, Peoria, Quad Cities, Rockford, Springfield, unemployment

The audacity of broke

By Austin Berg

01/25/2018

Illinois is broke. But leaders don’t act like it.

TAGS: AFSCME: American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees, budget, collective bargaining, ILGA: Illinois General Assembly, outmigration, taxes

Carbondale

These Illinois Halloween laws might scare you

Rauner vetoes bill mandating $40,000 minimum salary for teachers statewide

Outgoing SIU president to receive $215K severance, new $100K job

Illinois General Assembly passes bill mandating $40,000 minimum salary for teachers

Illinois’ southernmost counties see population losses in 2017

Carbondale employees see raises despite deeply underwater pension funds

Carbondale could lead on easing food truck regulations

Lawmakers to homeowners: ‘You’ll get nothing and like it’

Illinois’ metro areas shed 3,600 jobs in March

The audacity of broke

Fighting poverty with employment: Chicago block clubs

Report Archive

Diana Graham

Process for unionizing non-state workers raises red flags

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