Common-ground solutions to empower Chicago’s poor: A model for America’s cities

By Josh Bandoch

01/25/2024

Published Jan. 25, 2024

Illinois’ occupational licenses make it easier for holiday burglars

By Dylan Sharkey

12/24/2023

Illinois’ burdensome licensing for security alarm installers discourage potential workers, potentially making Illinois an easier target for burglars such as the Grinch or the Wet Bandits from “Home Alone.”

Census: 97% of Illinoisans moving out head to lower-tax states

By Bryce Hill

11/01/2023

State-to-state migration estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau showed Illinois lost residents to 36 states and Washington, D.C. Nearly all the former Illinoisans moved to lower-tax states.

Illinois can fight poverty by reducing excessive regulations that limit jobs

By Joe Tabor

09/25/2023

Data from the Mercatus Center shows Illinois faces a high regulatory burden at both the federal and state level. Research shows these regulations place a disproportionately high burden on the poor, helping to keep them in poverty.

TAGS: regulations

Vallas: Chicago can use home rule powers to curb crime

By Paul Vallas

09/19/2023

The SAFE-T Act could make it too hard for Chicago to detain offenders. Residents can’t afford that when the city is already amid a violent crime surge. Chicago leaders should use home rule powers to create a city public safety act.

TAGS: crime

Vallas: Chicago has a new police chief, what’s his plan to fix the city’s crime problem?

By Paul Vallas

08/18/2023

Larry Snelling, formerly the Chicago Police Department’s counterterrorism bureau chief, was selected Aug. 13 to become CPD’s next superintendent. Now, the city needs clarity on his plans to address Chicago’s crime problems.

TAGS: CPD: Chicago Police Department, crime

What to expect when cash bail ends in Illinois

By Joe Tabor

07/27/2023

The Illinois Supreme Court ruled ending cash bail is constitutional. What does that mean for Illinois? It means ready or not, the system changes Sept. 18.

TAGS: cash bail

Vallas: Pritzker flips again on low-income scholarships – signals he’s open to killing program

By Paul Vallas

07/13/2023

Last fall when he wanted to get reelected, Gov. J.B. Pritzker said he supported extending a scholarship program available to low-income and working-class families – Invest in Kids.

TAGS: Invest in Kids

Ameren monopoly over Illinois transmission lines up to Pritzker

By Patrick Andriesen

07/05/2023

The union-backed legislation would grant Illinois’ second-largest electric utility a temporary monopoly over the construction of new transmission lines across nearly three-quarters of the state. Gov. J.B. Pritzker promised to veto it.

Pandemic cocktails to-go gets extension in Illinois

By Patrick Andriesen

06/01/2023

Illinois was one of 14 states that made it legal for restaurant and bar owners to deliver cocktails or sell them to-go as a survival tactic during the COVID-19 pandemic. Gov. J.B. Pritzker just signed the bill to extend the policy into 2028.

Washington

Common-ground solutions to empower Chicago’s poor: A model for America’s cities

Illinois’ occupational licenses make it easier for holiday burglars

Census: 97% of Illinoisans moving out head to lower-tax states

Illinois can fight poverty by reducing excessive regulations that limit jobs

Vallas: Chicago can use home rule powers to curb crime

Vallas: Chicago has a new police chief, what’s his plan to fix the city’s crime problem?

What to expect when cash bail ends in Illinois

Vallas: Pritzker flips again on low-income scholarships – signals he’s open to killing program

Ameren monopoly over Illinois transmission lines up to Pritzker

Pandemic cocktails to-go gets extension in Illinois

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