From budget gridlock to traffic gridlock: Resumption of vehicle-emissions-testing requirements causes traffic jams
From budget gridlock to traffic gridlock: Resumption of vehicle-emissions-testing requirements causes traffic jams
The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency is again mailing notices of vehicle-emissions-testing requirements to vehicle owners, and effective June 1, the Illinois secretary of state has resumed requiring certain drivers to pass emissions tests prior to renewing their license plates. Drivers scrambling to comply by the secretary of state’s June 1 effective date caused headline-making traffic jams throughout Chicago and its suburbs.
By Amy Korte
New ordinance will reduce building downtown, raise rents in Chicago
New ordinance will reduce building downtown, raise rents in Chicago
If Chicago wants to alleviate poverty and economic inequality, the city needs to reform its zoning laws to allow more building – not institute a new tax on development.
By Mark Adams
Palatine school-district contract a case study in how closed-door, government-union deals hurt taxpayers
Palatine school-district contract a case study in how closed-door, government-union deals hurt taxpayers
Palatine-area Community Consolidated School District 15 posted its 10-year contract with its teachers union more than a month after it had been signed, ensuring that potentially harmful contract provisions can only come to light after it is too late for students, parents and taxpayers to do anything about it.
By Mailee Smith
May Corruption Watch
May Corruption Watch
May’s corruption headlines show the steep cost nontransparent government can have on taxpayers.
Belleville votes to dissolve township, save taxpayers $260,000 per year starting May 2017
Belleville votes to dissolve township, save taxpayers $260,000 per year starting May 2017
Belleville City Council’s decision to dissolve its township is a great move for taxpayers. Thousands of municipalities could make the same move, too, and eliminate waste.
Against Illinois’ tax breaks for Amazon? Fix the state’s broken workers’ compensation system
Against Illinois’ tax breaks for Amazon? Fix the state’s broken workers’ compensation system
There’s a reason new facilities aren’t being built in Illinois: In too many cases a business investment in Illinois doesn’t make financial sense unless Illinois taxpayers are paying for a chunk of the project. This system isn’t good for businesses, or for workers and unions that are losing jobs. Until Illinois makes the broad tax and regulatory reforms needed to compete for blue-collar jobs, businesses are going to keep expanding elsewhere or asking for tax breaks to come here.
By Michael Lucci
Working on a dream: 3 Chicago women and the power of manufacturing
Working on a dream: 3 Chicago women and the power of manufacturing
Three women from Chicago’s West Side are beating the odds.
How zoning rules are helping Houston overtake Chicago as America’s 3rd-largest city
How zoning rules are helping Houston overtake Chicago as America’s 3rd-largest city
As Chicago’s population shrinks, Houston is set to overtake the Windy City as the third-largest city in America. Illinois’ slumping economy is a major reason for that, but the cities’ different zoning rules show how regulations can promote growth – or stifle it.
By Mark Adams
Illinois taxpayers paying for billionaires’ stadiums
Illinois taxpayers paying for billionaires’ stadiums
Taxpayers will shell out $36 million for Soldier Field in 2016, in addition to footing the bill for U.S. Cellular Field. And the city of Chicago is still pushing a plan for DePaul University that would cost an initial $55 million for a new basketball stadium.
A mother’s will to win
A mother’s will to win
It’s easy to get cynical about Illinois politics. Frustration is the norm in Springfield. Optimism is an emotional liability. But Lisa Creason doesn’t play by those rules. When it comes to politics in the Land of Lincoln, the single mom from Decatur just pulled off the biggest underdog story of 2016. She drove to Springfield...
By Austin Berg
Years of ‘deadbeat Illinois’: State has history of shortchanging social service providers
Years of ‘deadbeat Illinois’: State has history of shortchanging social service providers
For years, Illinois lawmakers have prioritized government-worker pay and benefits over social services. Between 2000 and 2015, contributions to Illinois state-worker pension funds shot up 586 percent, while state payments for human services increased by only 10 percent.
By Ted Dabrowski
Illinois Senate kills Madigan budget
Illinois Senate kills Madigan budget
On May 31, the Illinois Senate rejected House Speaker Mike Madigan’s budget proposal, which was unbalanced by $7 billion.
By Craig Lesner
Cheryl Ohrt
Cheryl Ohrt
“I’m retired and my husband farms and works at the Vulcan stone quarry. “We’ve been here since 1987. When we bought this house our taxes were $900 on two acres. I just got our property tax bill today and it was almost $5,000. “You try and fix your yard up, your house up, and anything...