The second installment of Cook County property taxes should have been paid Aug. 1. The county can’t get the calculations completed, so the bills are on hold.
Federal help is needed in Chicago, but it should be professional law enforcement and encompass the entire justice system. Sending just the National Guard is destined to create problems when Chicago’s embattled communities need solutions.
The Chicago Teachers Union exerts power not only over the city of Chicago, but also statewide. Southern Illinois schools and their funding is the target of CTU leaders’ latest attack.
Illinois' high property taxes hurt the economy, particularly in communities already struggling. When government overtaxes, residents and businesses flee – leaving those remaining with a bigger tax bill.
MidAmerica St. Louis Airport has been a drain on taxpayers since it opened in 1995, requiring money from other county funds to keep it open. That total jumped last year to $14.83 million, bringing total subsidies since 2002 to $160 million.
Use our calculator to see if your family is eligible to receive a school choice grant from the Educational Choice for Children Act. Then, sign the petition to tell Gov. J.B. Pritzker to let Illinois join the federal program.
The Chicago Teachers Union is more political machine than labor union, putting nearly $1.8 million into the campaigns of 84 of 177 current lawmakers since 2010. But it may be losing its hold on Springfield.
As the Chicago Bears get ready for Monday Night Football, fans have heard talk about Arlington Heights since 2021. Here are the three biggest questions surrounding the move.
The teachers union in the 10th-largest school district in Illinois has voted to authorize a strike. If an agreement is not reached, teachers in Romeoville and Bolingbrook could strike as soon as Sept. 15.
Students at the emptiest schools in Chicago Public Schools recorded low proficiency and high absenteeism on average. Students at the most overcrowded schools fared better, even with lower spending per student.
The cost of a state university education in Illinois increased 66% between 2009 and 2025, $6,028 more in tuition and fees per year. Blame declining enrollment, a bad state funding formula, pensions and high administrative costs.
Illinois ranked No. 1 for spending per student on higher education in 2024, paying more than double the national average. Declining enrollment, poorly structured finances, growing pension payments and bloated administration have driven up costs.
The five pension systems run by the state of Illinois only have 46 cents on hand for every $1 of benefits they owe. Filling that $144 billion hole would require more money than the price of every NBA team combined.
Accounting standards call for annual spending reports within 180 days of the year’s end. Illinois took 774 days to produce its 2023 report, setting a national record for tardiness.