Illinois companies announced 1,065 mass layoffs in August. Minority-owned Diverse Facility Solutions, headquartered in Alsip, Illinois, and two other janitorial services companies accounted for nearly half of the jobs lost.
Enrollment in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program dropped by 3.2% in May. Still, nearly 2 million Illinoisans relied on federal food aid, with participation rates exceeding 30% in some Southern Illinois counties.
Teachers in the 10th-largest school district in Illinois may be on the picket lines instead of in classrooms with students on Sept. 18. Romeoville and Bolingbrook teachers are paid more than the state average but are pushing for more.
Third grade is a critical year for young readers, predicting the success of their future education. See how well your local schools are doing at producing proficient readers by the end of third grade.
Chicago’s pension systems carry over $53 billion in debt, leaving taxpayers with rising bills and no reform in sight.
Apple’s new iPhone launch on Sept. 9 may be a celebration for tech consumers, but it also makes the Illinois taxman smile. Illinois already had the nation’s highest tax rate on cell phone plans before it bumped up even more July 1.
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.