Chicago

Illinois unraveling

02/20/2014

Until the mid-1900s, people from across the world stampeded into Illinois in search of opportunity. Workers from rural America came to build Pullman cars, erect skyscrapers and fill factories. Immigrants from Eastern Europe arrived in search of economic freedom. And laborers left the agrarian South to participate in America’s industrialization. Illinois’ population doubled from 1900...

How to stop Chicago from ruining Uber and Lyft

02/18/2014

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel has proposed an ordinance that would force the popular ride-sharing services Uber and Lyft to drastically change the way they do business, if not shut down operations in the city entirely. The proposal contains numerous unnecessary provisions that would harm Uber and Lyft drivers as well as consumers and serve no...

TAGS: Chicago, Lyft, nanny state, taxis, Uber

How much are Chicago’s public servants really paid?

By Brian Costin

02/16/2014

The city of Chicago spent a shocking $197 million in overtime pay over the last year. Some public servants were paid more in overtime pay than their regular salary. One city employee, Police Communications Operator Lisa Jamison, earned $122,088 in overtime pay, on top of her $80,136 annual salary. According to the Chicago Sun-Times, “107...

Six places Chicagoans will flee to if property tax increases are part of Chicago’s pension fix

02/13/2014

There’s one simple reason why Detroit finally filed for bankruptcy in 2013. When it came time to pay its bills, the Motor City had run out of taxpayers. Taxpayers fled Detroit for decades as the city’s tax bill kept growing and its vital government services, such as public safety, were slashed. Detroit has lost more...

TAGS: Chicago, outmigration, pensions

Illinois job losses: 546 layoffs announced in coming months

By Hilary Gowins

02/11/2014

Illinois continues to shed jobs. The state lost 3,200 nonfarm payroll jobs in December. Now, Illinois is poised to lose an additional 546 jobs from five companies in the next few months, according to the state’s January Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification, or WARN report. Chicago-based Specialty Foods Group Inc., a meat wholesaler that makes...

TAGS: jobs, unemployment, WARN

The 7 worst things in Chicago’s proposed Uber ordinance

02/10/2014

Last week, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel proposed an ordinance that would regulate popular ride-sharing services such as Uber and Lyft in Chicago. Emanuel often claims that he wants Chicago to be friendly to new businesses, innovation and technology. Unfortunately, his proposal is anything but friendly to these “transportation network” services, and would force them to...

TAGS: Chicago, nanny state, Uber

Aldermen want to ban horse-drawn carriages in Chicago

By Bryant Jackson-Green

02/08/2014

Following once again in New York City’s tradition of petty nanny statism, a new ordinance proposed by aldermen Edward Burke and Anthony Beale seeks to ban horse-drawn carriages in Chicago. The proposed ordinance would amend the municipal code to prohibit the renewal of carriage licenses, which would bring an end to the industry by the...

TAGS: Chicago, horse carriages, nanny state

Chicago taxi industry sues to keep competition out

By Hilary Gowins

02/06/2014

Smartphone-based taxi services such as Uber and Lyft have been invaluable for many Chicagoans during the polar vortex and its lingering aftermath. The city’s entrenched taxi industry doesn’t like that fact. They’ve filed suit against the city of Chicago, claiming that allowing the existence of these in-demand services discriminates against people without access to smartphone...

TAGS: Chicago, cronyism, Lyft, Uber

Illinois’ ‘obesity epidemic’

By Brian Costin

02/01/2014

In a recent editorial, Better Government Association, or BGA, President Andy Shaw debates examines Illinois’ “obesity epidemic.” But bulging waistlines are not the target of Shaw’s ire. Instead, he complains about Illinois’ abundance of taxing bodies. “This is about a state that’s morbidly obese when it comes to government: Illinois has nearly 7,000 separate taxing...

TAGS: local government

Health department shuts down 11-year-old girl’s cupcake business

By Michael Lucci

01/29/2014

Chloe Stirling, an 11-year old from Madison County, dreams of one day running her own bakery. Starting at such a young age, the sky is the limit for her baking dreams. And if state and local regulators have their way, that bakery will not be in Illinois. “Hey, Cupcake!” is Chloe’s first start at a...

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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