Masks off by holidays? Pritzker likely taking back his ‘gift’

By Patrick Andriesen

12/03/2021

New COVID-19 cases have surged across Illinois, leading some state leaders to question why the only state east of the Mississippi with a universal mask mandate is seeing worse case rates than those without a mandate.

TAGS: COVID-19, JB Pritzker, masks

Amendment 1 would give Illinois government union bosses nation’s most extreme powers

By Mailee Smith

10/22/2021

No other state constitutions guarantee unmitigated powers to government unions, and 28 state constitutions don’t even find a need to mention labor.

TAGS: Amendment 1, CTU: Chicago Teachers Union, Illinois, strike, unions

Classrooms First: District consolidation can improve Illinois’ education outcomes while saving taxpayers money

By Adam Schuster

08/24/2021

Classrooms First Act would benefit virtually all Illinoisans including teachers, parents and students.

CDC report: 1 in 10 Illinois students learned in-person for 8 months of pandemic

By Patrick Andriesen

07/01/2021

Illinois ranked 9th worst in the nation for offering students access to full-time in-person learning between September 2020 and April 2021 – less than any other Midwest state.

TAGS: COVID-19, Illinois, teachers union

Census estimates again confirm Illinois population loss driven by people leaving

By Bryce Hill

05/05/2021

New data showed domestic migration continued to be the only reason for Illinois’ population decline.

TAGS: Illinois, outmigration, population, U.S. Census Bureau

Taking a photo of your filled-in ballot is a felony in Illinois

By Austin Berg

09/28/2020

State lawmakers across the country have struggled to square ballot secrecy with the advent of smartphones and social media.

TAGS: ballot, felony, Illinois Election Code, selfie

Opposition to Pritzker’s lockdown spreading rapidly

By Brad Weisenstein

05/15/2020

Opposition to Pritzker’s order is growing, as small business owners sue to challenge the governor’s ability to order them into ruin.

TAGS: coronavirus, COVID-19, executive order, reopen, small business, stay-at-home

Before COVID-19 downturn, Illinois saw shrinking payrolls and nation’s worst loss of manufacturing jobs

By Bryce Hill

03/31/2020

New data show Illinois lost private sector jobs amid a national economic expansion for the first year on record in 2019, a sign of the state’s deep structural problems in the run-up to the current market downturn.

TAGS: BLS: Bureau of Labor Statistics, coronavirus, COVID-19, economic growth, employment, jobs, labor force participation rate, unemployment

The 1%: Illinois’ pension millionaires

By Austin Berg

01/23/2020

More than 129,000 Illinois public pensioners will see expected payouts of $1 million or more during retirement.

TAGS: 401(k), government unions, ILGA: Illinois General Assembly, Illinois, JRS: Judges’ Retirement System, pension guarantee, pensions, private sector, public sector, SERS: State Employee Retirement System, Social Security, Springfield, SURS: State Universities Retirement System, TRS: Teachers’ Retirement System

Illinois pensions 101: Paltry contributions yield million-dollar payouts

By Adam Schuster

01/17/2020

Across all five state retirement systems, typical career workers pay for about 5% of the cost of their pension benefits. They receive an average of $1.7 million to $3.6 million.

TAGS: Edgar Ramp, firefighter pensions, GARS: General Assembly Retirement System, government employees, government services, government unions, government workers, IEA-NEA: Illinois Education Association, IFT: Illinois Federation of Teachers, ILGA: Illinois General Assembly, Illinois, Illinois Constitution, Jim Edgar, JRS: Judges’ Retirement System, municipal government, municipal pensions, pension guarantee, pensions, police pensions, public sector, retirement age, Rod Blagojevich, SERS: State Employee Retirement System, Social Security, social services, Springfield, SURS: State Universities Retirement System, tax hikes, tax increase, TRS: Teachers’ Retirement System

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Masks off by holidays? Pritzker likely taking back his ‘gift’

Amendment 1 would give Illinois government union bosses nation’s most extreme powers

Classrooms First: District consolidation can improve Illinois’ education outcomes while saving taxpayers money

CDC report: 1 in 10 Illinois students learned in-person for 8 months of pandemic

Census estimates again confirm Illinois population loss driven by people leaving

Taking a photo of your filled-in ballot is a felony in Illinois

Opposition to Pritzker’s lockdown spreading rapidly

Before COVID-19 downturn, Illinois saw shrinking payrolls and nation’s worst loss of manufacturing jobs

The 1%: Illinois’ pension millionaires

Illinois pensions 101: Paltry contributions yield million-dollar payouts

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