A new study confirms what most Illinoisans already know, the property taxes in the state are among the highest in the nation.

The personal finance website WalletHub ranked Illinois 50th for real estate property taxes. Of the 50 states and the District of Columbia, only New Jersey ranked lower.

Chicago is laying the groundwork for an appeal of a judge’s ruling that dealt a major blow to Mayor Brandon Johnson’s plan to raise the real estate transfer tax on high-end property sales to combat homelessness.

Hours after Circuit Judge Kathleen Burke declared the binding referendum invalid, the city filed a motion asking Burke to stay both her ruling and her decision to deny the city’s petition to intervene in the case “while the city appeals” those rulings. The referendum’s aim was to raise $100 million to combat homelessness.

As city and state lawmakers discuss public funding for the Chicago White Sox and Bears to build new stadiums, the Chicago Red Stars are making a move to be part of the conversation.

The National Women’s Soccer League club’s current stadium in suburban Bridgeview is not ideal for the team, and it has been a pressing issue predating the new ownership group. If elected officials use taxpayer dollars for new stadiums for the White Sox or Bears, then Red Stars executives contend they also should be included in whatever funding is allocated.

It’s not a slam dunk – or rather, a grand slam. But state assistance for stadiums seeking subsidies isn’t a total shutout either.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker said he’s “reluctant” to use taxpayer funds to help the White Sox move from Bridgeport to the South Loop.

While Chicago has long been used as a stand-in for fictional and real settings, the suburbs have also become a destination for film and television companies seeking a specific look.

The Chicago Board of Education voted on Thursday to end its contract with Chicago police and remove uniformed officers from the city’s schools.

The vote came at the end of a nearly eight-hour school board meeting in which teachers, students and elected city officials spoke.

The nine-month, $8.6 million contract extension that Mayor Brandon Johnson frantically hammered out with ShotSpotter to give the Chicago Police Department time to transition away from the gunshot detection technology just might be illegal, sources have told the Chicago Sun-Times.

That’s because the original contract with ShotSpotter’s parent company, SoundThinking, was never competitively bid or subject to the city’s normal procurement process, which requires what’s called a “request for proposals.”

After nine months of negotiations, AFSCME union employees have approved a new contract with Eastern Illinois University.

At worksite meetings Wednesday, union workers “overwhelmingly” voted to approve the new four-year contract, according to a news release from the union. A tentative agreement was announced earlier this month.