Chicago passes smokeless-tobacco ban for city ballparks

03/30/2016

Chicago recently became the fourth city to ban smokeless tobacco at ballparks, and is home to the nation’s highest tobacco tax.

TAGS: Chicago, regulations

Chicago area sees greatest population loss of any major U.S. city in 2015

By Michael Lucci

03/25/2016

Census data are sounding a warning signal that Chicago and Illinois policy leaders don’t necessarily want to hear.

TAGS: Chicago, outmigration, population

Chicago teachers highest paid among nation’s 50 largest school districts

By Amy Korte

02/05/2016

Among the U.S.’ 50 largest school districts, CPS teachers’ pay ranks No. 1 for teachers with a bachelor’s degree and five years’ experience, No. 2 for first-year teachers with a bachelor’s degree, and No. 3 for first-year teachers with a master’s degree.

TAGS: Chicago, CPS: Chicago Public Schools

The Chicago squeeze: Property taxes, fees and over 30 individual taxes crush city residents

By Ted Dabrowski, John Klingner

12/08/2015

Chicagoans are the most-taxed residents of any major city in Illinois and pay the 10th-highest property taxes compared to taxpayers in other large U.S. cities.

Perfect storm: Metra threatens line closures as Chicago mulls ‘congestion tax’ for commuters

By Hilary Gowins, Darlene Senger

09/23/2015

A federal mandate threatens to shut down Metra lines while Rahm’s ‘congestion tax’ would make it costlier for commuters to drive into the city.

TAGS: Chicago, congestion tax, Metra, transportation

Chicago: 7th most expensive city in the world

By Amy Korte

09/18/2015

Driven by a costly tax burden, Chicago’s high cost of goods and services lands the Windy City in the top 10 for the most expensive 71 cities across the world, according to a new survey by UBS.

TAGS: Chicago, sales tax

Chicago’s food-cart ban costs revenue, jobs

By Michael Lucci, Hilary Gowins

09/09/2015

Chicago’s ban on food carts is costing the city jobs and revenue. The city has fallen behind its peers: Street vending from food carts is already legal in 23 of the 25 largest cities in the U.S. The Illinois Policy Institute conducted a survey of nearly 200 Chicago food-cart street vendors to assess the social...

Tamales y temor: The world of Chicago’s shadow chefs

By Austin Berg

07/15/2015

An ordinance that would immediately allow thousands of food-cart street vendors the freedom to serve their communities sits before Emanuel’s City Council, and along with it the potential for explosive growth in the industry.

Illinois’ migration and economic crises revealed in 2014 U-Haul pricing

By Michael Lucci

06/04/2015

Americans once stampeded into Illinois in search of opportunity. Now, the opposite happens.

Mayor Emanuel’s minimum wage executive order doesn’t apply to political pals

By Brian Costin

10/11/2014

With great fanfare, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel recently announced an executive order requiring city contractors and concessionaires to pay their employees no less than $13 per hour. The move was highly touted in both the Chicago Sun-Times and Chicago Tribune, as well as a number of other publications and television news broadcasts. None of these...

TAGS: Rahm Emanuel, transparency, unions

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Chicago passes smokeless-tobacco ban for city ballparks

Chicago area sees greatest population loss of any major U.S. city in 2015

Chicago teachers highest paid among nation’s 50 largest school districts

The Chicago squeeze: Property taxes, fees and over 30 individual taxes crush city residents

Perfect storm: Metra threatens line closures as Chicago mulls ‘congestion tax’ for commuters

Chicago: 7th most expensive city in the world

Chicago’s food-cart ban costs revenue, jobs

Tamales y temor: The world of Chicago’s shadow chefs

Illinois’ migration and economic crises revealed in 2014 U-Haul pricing

Mayor Emanuel’s minimum wage executive order doesn’t apply to political pals

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