Illinois has some of the highest paid mayors in the world

03/22/2017

State and local tax hikes in Illinois have hurt economic growth, lowered the standard of living, and contributed to out-migration.

TAGS: Brad Stephens, LGDF: Local Government Distributive Fund, mayor, property taxes, Rosemont

Rivian Automotive gets $49.5 million in state tax credits for 1,000 jobs over 10 years

By Brendan Bakala

03/08/2017

The car manufacturer is promising to bring more than 1,000 jobs to Normal, Ill., after being offered $49.5 million in state tax credits and more in local tax credits and abatements.

TAGS: Bruce Rauner, cronyism, DCEO: Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, jobs, manufacturing, tax credits

Chicago made their business illegal, now Vugo is fighting back

By Austin Berg

02/07/2017

Vugo is the type of technology startup political leaders often herald as the future of Chicago. But taxi protectionism has forced it to leave town.

TAGS: Chicago, collaborative economy, regulations, rideshare

McDonald’s counters Fight for $15 with automation nationwide

11/30/2016

Calls for a minimum-wage hike nationwide and in Illinois are increasingly met with businesses’ use of technology to cut costs.

TAGS: Fight for 15, jobs, minimum wage

Google Fiber pauses Chicago operations

By Brendan Bakala

10/27/2016

Tech giant suspends plans to bring fiber optics to Windy City in favor of a wireless approach.

TAGS: Chicago, jobs, regulations

Which Illinois county is most likely to lock you up?

By Bryant Jackson-Green

09/23/2016

Research shows Hardin, Macon and Marion Counties lead the state in prison admissions per 10,000 residents.

TAGS: overcriminalization, prison, prison population, sentencing reform

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 aldermen move to shackle rideshare drivers with licensing scheme

By Austin Berg

10/23/2015

As companies such as Uber fight to bring driving jobs to underserved neighborhoods, City Council wants to require expensive licensing in exchange for access to customers at airports.

TAGS: rideshare

America’s digital divide: Startups fly, storefronts struggle

By Michael Lucci

09/26/2014

This article was written by Satta Sarmah and featured in Fast Company on September 26, 2014. When 30-year-old Chicago native Sheyla Jarocz talks about how a brick and mortar storefront survives in the city’s North Center neighborhood, it sounds like a lonely mission. “I’ve tried to do promotions with nearby businesses,” said Jarocz, who opened Maash Boutique two years...

TAGS: Chicago, jobs

Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan bullies producer of Four Loko

By Bryant Jackson-Green

04/08/2014

Last week Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan proudly announced a settlement that would allegedly ban the production of caffeinated alcoholic beverage called Four Loko. In a press release highlighting details from a 22-page settlement joined by 19 other states, the city of San Francisco and Four Loko’s Chicago-based maker, Phusion Products, Madigan boasts the agreement...

San Francisco

Illinois has some of the highest paid mayors in the world

Rivian Automotive gets $49.5 million in state tax credits for 1,000 jobs over 10 years

Chicago made their business illegal, now Vugo is fighting back

McDonald’s counters Fight for $15 with automation nationwide

Google Fiber pauses Chicago operations

Which Illinois county is most likely to lock you up?

Chicago passes smokeless-tobacco ban for city ballparks

Chicago aldermen move to shackle rideshare drivers with licensing scheme

America’s digital divide: Startups fly, storefronts struggle

Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan bullies producer of Four Loko

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