March mass layoffs hit Cook County hardest

By Josh Bandoch

04/14/2026

Nearly 1,100 cuts were reported statewide in a range of industries.

Illinois city outlaws trick-or-treating beyond age 12

By Dylan Sharkey

10/24/2023

Some Illinois communities see regulating any mischief on Halloween as a real treat. Belleville prohibits anyone older than 12 from trick-or-treating, with fines up to $1,000.

Pritzker spends $56.5M to push tax that would hit 100,000 small businesses

07/06/2020

Pritzker has been pushing hard for a progressive income tax amendment as a way to generate $3.7 billion for state spending.

TAGS: JB Pritzker, progressive income tax, small business

Progressive income tax hike could be up to 47% for Illinois small businesses

By Bryce Hill

05/18/2020

Small businesses face a potential income tax hike nearly 5 times larger than corporations under Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s “fair tax” amendment.

TAGS: coronavirus, COVID-19, JB Pritzker, progressive income tax, small business

Halloween rules on times, ages and dark houses await Illinois trick-or-treaters

10/28/2019

Oak Park is creating specific trick-or-treating hours this Halloween. Other municipalities in Illinois have even scarier Halloween rules.

These Illinois Halloween laws might scare you

By Austin Berg

10/18/2018

Scraping through a few hundred municipal codes in Illinois didn’t turn up any trick-or-treat ordinances allowing for jail time. But fines associated with age limits, curfews, masks and more were aplenty.

TAGS: Belleville, criminal justice reform, Decatur, overcriminalization

80% of Cook County municipalities have opted out of minimum wage, sick leave ordinances

By Amy Korte, Marianna Schmiesing

07/31/2017

The number of Cook County municipalities that have opted out of both ordinances has climbed to 107.

TAGS: Cook County, jobs, minimum wage

Illinois corruption watch, July 2014

By Brian Costin

08/09/2014

The bad news keeps piling up for Illinoisans. Illinois Policy’s “corruption watch” blog series hit a new high in the month of July with nearly 100 corruption-related stories. Chicago and Springfield are the two cities most synonymous with the state’s corruption woes. Unsurprisingly, both cities dominated headlines with the top two corruption stories of the...

Gov. Quinn announces $54.8 million investment in private universities

By Benjamin VanMetre

08/01/2013

Illinois can’t pay its bills. Lawmakers continue to eat away at the Illinois family budget with higher taxes. And the state refuses to stop ballooning pension payments from crowding out core government services. Yet Gov. Pat Quinn announced that Illinois will invest $54.8 million 27 private colleges and universities in the Chicago area. Some of this spending...

Things you think are treats but really are tricks

10/27/2011

by Amanda Griffin-Johnson This time of year, children go door-to-door dressed in costumes to ask their neighbors for treats. Throughout the year, governments at the federal, state and local level provide services and programs that many look upon as treats. But considering the cost and inefficiency of some of these programs and services, are these...

Palos Heights

March mass layoffs hit Cook County hardest

Illinois city outlaws trick-or-treating beyond age 12

Pritzker spends $56.5M to push tax that would hit 100,000 small businesses

Progressive income tax hike could be up to 47% for Illinois small businesses

Halloween rules on times, ages and dark houses await Illinois trick-or-treaters

These Illinois Halloween laws might scare you

80% of Cook County municipalities have opted out of minimum wage, sick leave ordinances

Illinois corruption watch, July 2014

Gov. Quinn announces $54.8 million investment in private universities

Things you think are treats but really are tricks

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