IL Supreme Court expedites pension battle

By Benjamin VanMetre

12/12/2014

The expedited hearing is good news. It means the state will know specifically what it can do to address its $111 billion unfunded pension debt sooner rather than later.

TAGS: pensions, Senate Bill 1, U.S. Supreme Court

With costs on the decline, 401(k)s increasingly attractive

By Ted Dabrowski

12/11/2014

The list of reasons for denying government workers the benefits of 401(k)-style plans in favor of politician-controlled pensions is short at best, and it’s growing shorter every day.

TAGS: 401(k), Chicago, pensions

Downers Grove sign ordinance harms local business

By Jeffrey Schwab

12/11/2014

Leibundguth Moving & Storage has been in Downers Grove, Illinois, since 1928, and for over 70 years it has had a hand-painted sign on the back of its building facing the Metra commuter rail tracks.

TAGS: Downers Grove, ordinance, regulations

Rest in peace, Judy Baar Topinka

12/10/2014

Judy Baar Topinka was larger than life.

Illinois lawmakers deserve praise for holding off on state-funded ObamaCare exchange

By Naomi Lopez Bauman

12/09/2014

It might be rare to heap praise on Illinois’ state lawmakers, but their decision not to move forward on a state-funded exchange deserves recognition.

The cost of Illinois’ broken pension systems: per-employee retirement contributions 4 times the private sector

12/09/2014

Illinois state government contributes the equivalent of 35 to 127 percent of government-worker salaries to keep its pension systems above water.

TAGS: budget, pensions, taxes

Medline Industries has received $39.3M in tax credits in last 15 years

By Robert Steere

12/09/2014

A case study on the insider’s game of EDGE tax credits

TAGS: budget, EDGE: Economic Development for a Growing Economy, Medline, tax credits, taxes

U.S. payrolls impress, employment growth disappoints and Illinois drags behind

By Michael Lucci

12/07/2014

Had Illinois managed the recession and recovery on par with the rest of the U.S., there would be an additional 300,000 Illinoisans working today, and an additional 220,000 payroll jobs.

TAGS: jobs

Illinois Corruption Watch: November 2014

By Brian Costin

12/07/2014

In November, 13 of 53 Corruption Watch stories were related to policies and actions of criminal-justice authorities in Illinois.

TAGS: Chicago

Veto session week 2 recap

By Donovan Griffith

12/06/2014

Action, or lack thereof, on the 2011 income-tax hikes, a minimum-wage increase, SEIU training and more affect Illinoisans in the wake of a lame-duck death.

TAGS: Chicago, lame duck session

Illinois

IL Supreme Court expedites pension battle

With costs on the decline, 401(k)s increasingly attractive

Downers Grove sign ordinance harms local business

Rest in peace, Judy Baar Topinka

Illinois lawmakers deserve praise for holding off on state-funded ObamaCare exchange

The cost of Illinois’ broken pension systems: per-employee retirement contributions 4 times the private sector

Medline Industries has received $39.3M in tax credits in last 15 years

U.S. payrolls impress, employment growth disappoints and Illinois drags behind

Illinois Corruption Watch: November 2014

Veto session week 2 recap

Pathway to a Profession: How Apprenticeships Could Reshape Illinois’ Beauty Service Industry

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