July corruption watch

08/04/2016

Chicago leads the way in numerous corruption headlines yet again.

TAGS: Chicago, corruption, good government

Meet the politicians who stand to get rich off of Chicago’s massive property-tax hike

By Austin Berg

07/09/2016

More scrutiny from property owners means more money in the pockets of certain members of Illinois’ political elite, including House Speaker Mike Madigan.

Corruption Watch

07/05/2016

Headlines in June show why Chicago is considered one of the most corrupt cities in the world.

TAGS: corruption, good government, transparency

May Corruption Watch

06/03/2016

May’s corruption headlines show the steep cost nontransparent government can have on taxpayers.

TAGS: corruption, good government

Burke saved Trump $11.7M in Chicago property-tax appeal scheme

By Austin Berg

04/30/2016

Donald Trump, Chicago Alderman Edward Burke

Flawed property valuations and the process required to fix them are a cash cow for law firms, including those of House Speaker Mike Madigan, Chicago Alderman Ed Burke and Illinois Senate President John Cullerton.

TAGS: Chicago, Donald Trump, Ed Burke, property taxes

Illinois corruption watch: March 2016

04/04/2016

Several instances of corruption and mismanagement of public property and trust came to light in March and included new developments in cases involving Chicago Public Schools’ former CEO Barbara Byrd-Bennett and former Gov. Rod Blagojevich.

TAGS: corruption

Illinois corruption watch: February 2016

03/07/2016

Illinoisans’ confidence in their state government is the lowest of residents of any state in the nation, and corruption stories from February 2016 don’t help.

Chicago Teachers Union’s threatened April 1 strike date isn’t legal

By Jeffrey Schwab

03/03/2016

The Chicago Teachers Union has threatened to strike as early as April 1 over Chicago Public Schools’ announced plan to stop paying a portion of teachers’ required contributions to their pension fund. Under Illinois labor law, however, CTU cannot legally strike before mid- to late-May.

TAGS: CPS: Chicago Public Schools

11 things you need to know about Chicago teacher pensions

By Ted Dabrowski, John Klingner

03/01/2016

Pension holidays, steep increases in teachers' salaries, and lopsided ratios of teacher contributions to pension payouts have caused the Chicago Teachers’ Pension Fund’s unfunded liabilities to shoot up to $9 billion in 2015.

TAGS: CPS: Chicago Public Schools, pensions

Judge rules Chicago red-light and speed-camera tickets ‘void’

By Austin Berg

02/24/2016

Chicago is taking yet another black eye for its mishandling of a highly controversial ticketing system, which has slapped drivers with hundreds of millions of dollars in fines.

TAGS: Chicago, Rahm Emanuel, red light cameras

Chicago Sun-Times

July corruption watch

Meet the politicians who stand to get rich off of Chicago’s massive property-tax hike

Corruption Watch

May Corruption Watch

Burke saved Trump $11.7M in Chicago property-tax appeal scheme

Illinois corruption watch: March 2016

Illinois corruption watch: February 2016

Chicago Teachers Union’s threatened April 1 strike date isn’t legal

11 things you need to know about Chicago teacher pensions

Judge rules Chicago red-light and speed-camera tickets ‘void’

Chicago Forward 2026: A pro-growth plan to end city budget deficits

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