by Will Compernolle In fiscal year 2007, the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity gave a $25,000 grant (#07-203098) to the Chicago Park District “for renovations to the historic spray pool at Athletic Field Parklocated at 3546 West Addison in Chicago.” The DCEO’s grant tracker explains the grant is part of a larger grant program “for specific...

by Amanda Griffin-Johnson The Associated Press reports that the federal government’s Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) “wasted more than $100 million paying the electric bills of thousands of applicants who were dead, in prison or living in million-dollar mansions.” LIHEAP is designed to help low-income families pay their electric bills, but there was “little oversight of...

by Kate Piercy According to the State Journal-Register, five key employees of the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) have combined to spend more than $300,000 on travel since fiscal year 2005. In addition, the agency has spent $1.2 million to $1.32 million on travel overall in each of those years. Apparently, a good portion of...

The Problem Every day, businesses from across Illinois compete in the marketplace. They work to make their products better, their costs more competitive, and they invest in employee training to boost productivity. Some companies, however, receive help from the state to foot their training costs. How? Through the Employer Training and Investment Program (ETIP). According...

According to our transparency website, IllinoisOpenGov.org, the State of Illinois paid 41 public administration interns $736,463.01 in fiscal year 2008 in combined total wages, with the highest paid intern being paid $52,914. The average public administration intern was given an annual salary of $17,962.51. According to the Illinois Central Management Services website, public administration interns “function in an...