Chicago Tribune

Outsourcing ObamaCare

By Naomi Lopez Bauman
09/09/2013
A recent editorial in the Chicago Tribune criticized the state Department of Insurance for not publicly releasing health insurance premium rates for the health care exchange. The exchange is a central feature of ObamaCare in which individuals and small businesses will begin buying private insurance coverage Oct. 1. With rates expected to go up dramatically, it’s no...

If ‘food deserts’ are a problem, blame Chicago politicians

09/03/2013
The Chicago Tribune ran a front-page story lamenting Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s failure to eliminate food deserts in Chicago. A food desert is an area in which residents allegedly lack easy access to supermarkets that offer fresh produce. The exact definition varies depending on who you ask and when – the city used to consider areas without a...

TAGS: Chicago, Rahm Emanuel

Chicago’s Divvy bike-sharing program costing taxpayers big

By Brian Costin
08/22/2013
Divvy bike stations are expanding throughout Chicago, offering riders low membership costs and 24-hour rental fees. But this multimillion-dollar project is bringing in only a fraction of the money necessary to fund it. Last year, the city of Chicago announced a controversial $65 million contract with ALTA Bicycle Share to operate a 4,000 bicycle bike-share program in...

TAGS: Chicago, Divvy

Chicago’s latest money grab: 300 speed cameras could generate up to $4.3 billion in fines from local motorists

08/21/2013
Cash-strapped Chicago is about to get an injection of money from motorists. The city is installing its controversial speed cameras at four neighborhood parks on Monday, and has plans for eight additional locations in the next few months. The city announced the results from a test of the new technology that showed surprising results. During a December trial,...

TAGS: Chicago, speed cameras

Quinn signs 70 mph speed limit law for Illinois

By Brian Costin
08/19/2013
Gov. Quinn signed into law Senate Bill 2356, which increases speed limits on rural highways to 70 miles per hour. The limit increase only affects highways outside of urban areas. Highways within Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake, Madison, McHenry, St. Clair, and Will counties will be able to opt out through local ordinances. According to the Chicago Tribune:...

TAGS: speed limit

400 Illinoisans receive notice of impending layoffs

By Hilary Gowins
08/03/2013
At the end of July, about 400 Illinois workers were notified that they might be losing their jobs in the next few weeks. Filings with the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity highlighted this number, which includes cuts at major companies throughout the state. According to the Chicago Tribune: Lake Forest-based Grainger Inc. said it...

TAGS: Ball Metal Beverage Packaging, Caterpillar, Citibank, Grainger, KubeTech Custom Molding, Olin Corp, Pershing, Robert Bosch Tool Corp

FBI ethics probe causes Chicago alderman to hold off on White House honor

By Brian Costin
07/25/2013
On the same day the White House announced an honor for Chicago Alderman Joe Moore as a “pioneer for political reform, governmental transparency and democratic governance,” Moore also revealed that he had been questioned by the FBI in an ethics probe concerning some of his former employees. As the Chicago Tribune reported: The accusations involving...

Chicago’s speed camera deal brokered behind closed doors

By Brian Costin
07/23/2013
Turns out there’s no proof that Chicago’s red-light camera program has done anything to improve safety. In May, the Chicago Inspector General released a scathing audit of Chicago’s controversial red-light camera program. The audit found the Chicago of Department of Transportation couldn’t prove it placed cameras at Chicago’s most dangerous locations or that the cameras actually...

Chicago Public Schools lays off more than 2,000, including 1,000 teachers

07/19/2013
Chicago Public Schools plans to layoff more than 2,000 Chicago Teachers Union members on Friday. CTU released a statement saying CPS plans to lay off nearly 2,100 total employees, including “veteran teachers, teacher assistants, clerks, technology coordinators, instructional aides, lunchroom workers and security guards.” “Once again, CPS has lied to parents, employees and the public...

Taxing sophistry

By Benjamin VanMetre
07/18/2013
Earlier this month, the Chicago Tribune published an editorial sounding the alarm on “the next Illinois tax hike” – a progressive tax. While many in the state have come to recognize this upcoming tax fight, others, such as Jan Goldberg of Riverside, Ill., refuse to admit the truth. In a recent letter to the editor titled “Benefits of a...
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FAQ: How the federal scholarship program would help Illinois students

Illinois students could soon benefit from scholarship money to help them find a tutor, attend ACT or SAT prep sessions, pay tuition, get special education services or assist with other academic needs. That will happen in Illinois only if Gov. J.B. Pritzker lets the state’s schoolchildren benefit from the Federal Scholarship Tax Credit program, established...

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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