Illinois

Right to Work gives states a competitive advantage

07/14/2013
by Paul Kersey CNBC released its rankings of the friendliest states for business last week. Illinois dropped further down the list, but one nearby state is climbing, in large part because its elected officials passed a Right-to-Work law. CNBC’s Scott Cohn took notice, reporting that the Michigan moved from 33rd to 29th. CNBC’s rating of the state’s...

Twinkies and the bakers union: don’t call it a comeback

07/13/2013
by Paul Kersey Plans to reopen Hostess Brands bakeries, including one in the Chicago suburb of Schiller Park, are going forward. The company has announced that the Twinkie will make its glorious return on July 15. But while the reorganized Hostess is making what it calls “the sweetest comeback in the history of ever,” the bakers...

90 out of 102 county-level governments failed the 10-Point Transparency Checklist

07/12/2013
by Brian Costin Illinois is notorious for government corruption. Since 1976, the state has had the third-highest amount of public corruption convictions in the country — including four out of the last seven governors. Outside of Springfield, things aren’t much better. Chicago has been called “the most corrupt city in America.” A report by the University of Illinois-Chicago and...

Illinois drops 11 spots in CNBC’s Top States for Business 2013 index

07/11/2013
by Ben VanMetre CNBC released this week its Top States for Business 2013 index. Illinois dropped 11 notches overall, to 37th from 26th, in just one year. The study scores all 50 states on 51 measures of competitiveness, and the metrics are boiled down to 10 broad categories. Each category is weighted differently. Unfortunately, Illinois ranks...

Pat Quinn is fourth-highest paid governor in the country

By Hilary Gowins
07/10/2013
At a time when the state of Illinois has more than $100 billion in unfunded pension liabilities, more than $6 billion in unpaid bills and is coming off of its 13th credit downgrade since 2009, it might shock Illinoisans to hear that Gov. Quinn is one of the highest-paid governors in the country. Gov. Pat Quinn’s salary is $177,412. According...

Quinn freezes legislators’ pay over pension reform impasse

By Hilary Gowins
07/10/2013
Lawmakers on the Illinois General Assembly’s pension conference committee failed to meet Gov. Pat Quinn’s July 9  deadline to resolve the differences between the various pension reform proposals on the table. At a press conference Wednesday, Quinn announced that he is freezing legislators’ pay until they come up with a comprehensive pension solution. Quinn said he won’t collect...

Comptroller says Illinois’ unpaid bills will grow by $1 billion in coming weeks

07/09/2013
by Ben VanMetre Illinois is notorious for ignoring its financial obligations and racking up billions in unpaid bills. When it sits on those unpaid bills long enough, the state has to pay a penalty. Illinois is required by law to pay interest of 1 percent a month on its unpaid bills, also called invoices, when they become...

Illinois unions fight to block Medicaid savings

By Paul Kersey
07/09/2013
One of the screwier effects of Illinois labor law was on display recently when an arbitrator ruled that the state would have to terminate its contract with Maximus Health Services. In September 2012, the state hired Maximus to review Illinois’ Medicaid rolls and remove those who were no longer eligible for benefits. The company’s investigation identified 60,000...

Most Illinois counties fail online transparency audit

07/09/2013
by Brian Costin 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. Last week the Illinois...
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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