Chicago’s 2025 budget has a nearly $1 billion hole. Mayor Brandon Johnson has only proposed tax hikes. But when personnel eats over two-thirds of the budget, the city must be smart about freezes and cuts without making public safety even worse.
The Chicago Teachers Union wails about schools closing, but it is the union’s actions that have been solely responsible for past school closings and for the conditions that will lead to more closures in the future.
Florida state lawmakers began mandating science-based literacy education in the early 2000s. It improved reading proficiency among early grades and cemented Florida as a leader in early literacy education. Illinois should do the same.
Chicago’s O’Hare Airport is one of the toughest for waiting in long lines, according to a study of the nation’s biggest airports. Motorists dealing with Illinois’ second-highest gas taxes won’t fare much better hitting the road.
October job numbers for Illinois remained disappointing, with an unemployment rate that was third highest in the nation. There are 346,000 Illinoisans who need a job.
Public records show the Chicago Teachers Union and other union entities pay Stacy Davis Gates a very healthy salary. But union transparency ends there. CTU is refusing to show members how it spends their money, despite that mandate in CTU’s rules.
Chicago’s violent crime hit the second-highest level in the past five years. Aggravated assaults increased the most during the past 12 months to hit a five-year peak. Most of the victims were Black.
Chicago faces financial meltdowns on three fronts: the city budget, Chicago Public Schools and the Chicago Transit Authority. The CTA faces a $577 million deficit, but it can be fixed.
How Illinoisans use their credit or debit cards could change depending on the result of a lawsuit over certain fees impacted by a new state law. Illinois shoppers may be the only ones in the nation forced to swipe twice for each purchase, or they might see a little savings.
Pekin and Normal have joined the list of local governments passing ordinances to replace the 1% statewide grocery tax when it expires.
Illinois is at risk of getting in costly trouble with the federal government over its Tier 2 public employee retirement benefits. Here’s a solution that doesn’t make the state’s monstrous public pension debt even worse.
The Chicago Teachers Union spent $1.74 million on its endorsed school board candidates. But most of them were defeated, signaling the unpopularity of CTU and Mayor Brandon Johnson.
The Chicago Teachers Union has funneled nearly $1.6 to lawmakers in the Illinois General Assembly. See if your lawmakers accepted CTU cash.