Chicago

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...

Real State of the State

By illinoispolicy
01/29/2014
JOBS AND GROWTH Illinois has the third-highest unemployment rate in the nation  More than 1 million Illinoisans are unemployed or underemployed Illinois is projected to be dead last in jobs growth in 2014 78,713 Illinoisans have given up and left the workforce since Dec. 2012 Illinois paid out $266M in improper unemployment insurance payments Illinois...

TAGS: State of the State

New study shows there’s no such thing as a lost cause when it comes to education

01/28/2014
It’s never too late to help a struggling student. An amazing new study conducted by the University of Chicago’s Urban Education Lab shows that intense tutoring combined with group behavioral counseling can help high school students with weak math skills, chronic truancy and disciplinary problems improve their performance. The study showed impressive gains. In fact,...

TAGS: charter schools, school choice, vouchers

Top 10 facts about Illinois pensions

By illinoispolicy
01/27/2014
Illinois has the worst pension crisis in the nation. If real reforms aren’t enacted, retirees will see their pensions slashed, taxpayers will be forced into a massive bailout and younger state workers might not receive a pension at all. The recent pension reform bill that passed is actually a step backward for the state. Only...

10 Illinois education facts you should know

By illinoispolicy
01/25/2014
Despite increased funding over the past10n years, most Illinois elementary schools and high schools still struggle to teach students the basics of reading and math. Some of this is due to laws that allow poor-performing teachers to stay in classrooms, but most is due to the structure of Illinois’ education system itself. Here are 10...

Illinoisans flee the state for neighboring Indiana, Missouri and Wisconsin

By Michael Lucci
01/24/2014
The story of Illinois’ steady out-migration problem is well known, but just where are Illinoisans moving to? Is the outflow driven entirely by retirees and beach-goers moving to Florida? Not according to the U.S. Census Bureau, which just released its 2012 American Community Survey of state-to-state migration flow data. These data use census surveys to...

TAGS: population

10 Illinois education facts you should know

01/22/2014
Despite increased funding over the past 10 years, most Illinois elementary schools and high schools still struggle to teach students the basics of reading and math. Some of this is due to laws that allow poor-performing teachers to stay in classrooms, but most is due to the structure of Illinois’ education system itself. Here are...

Illinois’ record film revenue: What’s the cost?

By Michael Lucci
01/22/2014
Chicago is a great place to make a movie. Tom Cruise got his big break in the North Shore-based drama “Risky Business,” and comedy star Vince Vaughn claims the Windy City as his home. Film favorites ranging from “Ferris Buehler’s Day Off” to “The Untouchables” and the annual Christmas viewing requirement that is “Home Alone”...

TAGS: Chicago, film subsidies

Chicago Tribune calls for school choice in Illinois

01/21/2014
It’s time to bring school choice to Illinois – so says the Chicago Tribune, in a convincing editorial published this weekend. Not only did the Tribune discuss the poor performance of Chicago’s persistently low-performing schools, it also talked about successful school choice programs in Wisconsin and Indiana – Illinois’ neighbors to the north and east....

Illinois legislators take a stand against a progressive income tax hike

By Jane McEnaney
01/16/2014
The Tax Foundation—a nonpartisan, D.C.-based think tank—hosted a press conference in Chicago this afternoon on the effects of a proposed tax increase in Illinois. The Tax Foundation’s analysis of the proposed progressive tax legislation found that: Illinois’ “State Business Tax Climate Index” ranking could fall to 44th from its current 31st ranking if the proposed progressive income...

TAGS: fair tax, graduated income tax, income tax, progressive income tax

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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