Chicago

Advisory committee on education funding needs to embrace bold reforms

07/07/2013

Nearly every week, I receive a call from an Illinois parent asking about whether the state has a school voucher program. Last week it was a single mother from the South Side of Chicago. Her daughter just graduated from elementary school and will attend one of the city’s worst high schools if her family can’t...

Houston woos Dwight Howard with state income tax

By Hilary Gowins

07/05/2013

In the wake of Lebron James’ second-straight NBA title and the end of the professional season, free agents across the league are considering their next moves. Some of the biggest names to enter the free-agent fray include the Los Angeles Lakers’ Dwight Howard and New York Knicks sixth-man, J.R. Smith. As these athletes consider their decision, they’ll...

TAGS: progressive income tax, taxes

Illinois and Chicago travelers still paying among highest gas prices in country despite price drop

By Hilary Gowins

07/04/2013

Since last month, gas prices in Illinois have fallen below the $4 mark, dropping by $0.32. But Illinois’ average price per gallon is still almost $0.25 above the national average of $3.48. Chicago’s average price at the pump is even higher – $4.12. Though this is a significant drop from less than a month ago when Chicago had...

Pizza with a purpose: Restaurateur Dimitri Syrkin-Nikolau believes in Illinois’ future

By Hilary Gowins

07/03/2013

Dimitri Syrkin-Nikolau doesn’t just make pizza. Through his Chicagobased business, Dimo’s Pizza, he also cultivates talented employees. He opens his doors to local schools. He helps foster enthusiasm and excitement within his community. That’s because, to Syrkin-Nikolau, business isn’t just about making money. He believes it’s about what he calls “purposeful profit.” “Ultimately, profit is...

Allstate, other Illinois companies set to lay off more than 1,300 employees

By Hilary Gowins

07/03/2013

Allstate Corp. tops the list of Illinois companies planning layoffs, according to a June report from theIllinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, or IDCEO. The Northbrook-based insurance company is planning to lay off 348 workers from its Woodridge, Ill., location as part of a restructuring effort to reduce expenses. Under IDCEO’s Illinois Worker Adjustment and...

After pricing teachers out of jobs, CTU sets up laid-off employees to receive government assistance

06/29/2013

by Paul Kersey Barring a dramatic shift, more than 800 Chicago Public Schools employees, many of them dues-paying Chicago Teachers Union members, will be without jobs when schools open in the fall. But CTU, having collected more than $1,000 in dues per year from these people before pricing them out of their jobs, has made plans to help...

Little movement during Illinois’ first pension committee meeting

By Chris Andriesen

06/29/2013

by Jane McEnaney On June 27, the Illinois General Assembly’s conference committee on pension reform met for the first time in Chicago. All 10 members of the bipartisan, bicameral committee were present. The committee met for five straight hours, hearing testimony from: Ty Fahner, President, Civic Committee of The Commercial Club of Chicago Jerry Stermer, Acting Director...

Illinois’ 102 county online transparency audit

By Brian Costin

06/27/2013

One of the best protections against corruption is transparency, and in today’s digital age one of the easiest ways for government to be open and accountable is through posting public documents on the Internet. Unfortunately, most Illinois counties need to dramatically improve when it comes to online transparency. The Illinois Policy Institute recently audited all...

The fight for school choice lives on

06/22/2013

In May of 2010, the Illinois House of Representatives voted down the 2010 voucher bill. My hopes had been high for this bill, because I knew what school choice would mean for Illinois families. Vouchers mean freedom from failing schools; the possibility of students and families choosing their own path instead of being stuck with...

Capitol Updates: lawmakers push off pension reform in favor of ‘pension conference committee’ during special session

By Jane McEnaney

06/20/2013

State lawmakers were in Springfield yesterday for a special session ordered by Gov. Pat Quinn. As expected, the General Assembly did not take formal votes on any pension reform legislation. Instead, Quinn called for the formation of a conference committee, with the intention of resolving the differences between the House and Senate on pension reform. As a means of breaking up...

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...

View Report

Chicago

Advisory committee on education funding needs to embrace bold reforms

Houston woos Dwight Howard with state income tax

Illinois and Chicago travelers still paying among highest gas prices in country despite price drop

Pizza with a purpose: Restaurateur Dimitri Syrkin-Nikolau believes in Illinois’ future

Allstate, other Illinois companies set to lay off more than 1,300 employees

After pricing teachers out of jobs, CTU sets up laid-off employees to receive government assistance

Little movement during Illinois’ first pension committee meeting

Illinois’ 102 county online transparency audit

The fight for school choice lives on

Capitol Updates: lawmakers push off pension reform in favor of ‘pension conference committee’ during special session

FAQ: How the federal scholarship program would help Illinois students

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