Investigative committee begins hearings into Madigan misconduct

09/11/2020

It’s the third time in 20 years a committee has been formed to investigate misconduct by a state lawmaker. Day 1 was brief.

TAGS: bribery, corruption, investigation, Mike Madigan

Illinois House investigative committee to review Madigan’s role in ComEd scandal

09/02/2020

The special investigative committee will determine whether Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan should be disciplined after being implicated in the ComEd bribery scandal.

TAGS: bribery, ComEd, corruption, federal investigation, Mike Madigan

Progressive income tax study guide

By Orphe Divounguy, Adam Schuster, Bryce Hill

08/27/2020

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker calls it the “fair tax.” Opponents say it’s a “blank check” for irresponsible spending. Here’s what you need to know.

TAGS: ballot referendums, California, Connecticut, corporate income tax, fair tax, general election, graduated income tax, ILGA: Illinois General Assembly, Illinois, income tax, JB Pritzker, middle class, outmigration, Springfield

Political patronage? Not in Illinois, Pritzker argues in court

By Brad Weisenstein

08/20/2020

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker sees no patronage problem in his administration – not that there’s no patronage, just that he apparently doesn’t see it as a problem.

TAGS: corruption, JB Pritzker, Mike Madigan, patronage, watchdog

9 Democrats demand Madigan’s resignation as Illinois House speaker

08/06/2020

America’s longest-serving House speaker is facing mounting pressure from within his own party over corruption implications in the federal case against ComEd.

TAGS: ComEd, corruption, Democratic Party, Mike Madigan

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

Pritzker failing to help out-of-work Illinoisans as other states adapt

By Austin Berg

04/21/2020

Illinoisans shoulder among the highest tax burdens of any state, and that should come with robust services. But soaring debt and pension costs have left too little room for the things residents need most from government.

TAGS: coronavirus, COVID-19, IDES: Illinois Department of Employment Security, JB Pritzker, unemployment

Illinoisans want cleaner state government more than great schools, less crime

By Austin Berg

02/13/2020

A common misconception in Illinois is that voters are numb to this reality. But polling released this week, commissioned by the Illinois Education Association, shows that’s not true.

TAGS: bipartisan, corruption, education, ethics, federal investigation, Legislative Inspector General, revolving door

Illinois saw nation’s worst population loss during the decade

By Orphe Divounguy, Bryce Hill

12/30/2019

Illinois suffered its sixth consecutive year of population decline in 2019, driven entirely by residents leaving for other states.

TAGS: 401(k), debt, flat tax, general revenue fund, Great Recession, ILGA: Illinois General Assembly, Illinois, Illinois Constitution, JB Pritzker, job creation, Mike Madigan, outmigration, population, revenue, Springfield, tax burden, tax hikes, tax increase, U.S. Census Bureau, working-age

Where you can and can’t buy recreational marijuana in Illinois

11/15/2019

Many Illinois municipalities have voted to ban or restrict marijuana sales when it becomes legal for sale. Here’s a list of where pot will, won’t and might be legally bought.

TAGS: Arlington Heights, Bolingbrook, Buffalo Grove, cannabis, Carbondale, Carol Stream, Chicago, City of Springfield, collar counties, Collinsville, Danville, Decatur, Downers Grove, DuPage County, Edwardsville, Elmhurst, Grayslake, Highland Park, Joliet, Lake Forest, Lake Zurich, legalization, Libertyville, Lombard, marijuana, Mundelein, municipal government, Naperville, Northbrook, Oak Park, Plainfield, prohibition, Schaumburg, Urbana, Waukegan, Wheaton, Winnetka

Naperville

Investigative committee begins hearings into Madigan misconduct

Illinois House investigative committee to review Madigan’s role in ComEd scandal

Progressive income tax study guide

Political patronage? Not in Illinois, Pritzker argues in court

9 Democrats demand Madigan’s resignation as Illinois House speaker

Opposition to Pritzker’s lockdown spreading rapidly

Pritzker failing to help out-of-work Illinoisans as other states adapt

Illinoisans want cleaner state government more than great schools, less crime

Illinois saw nation’s worst population loss during the decade

Where you can and can’t buy recreational marijuana in Illinois

Fighting poverty with employment: Chicago block clubs

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