Job gains in Illinois’ metropolitan areas were off to a slow start in 2024. Six areas remain behind where they were before the pandemic.
Illinois employment growth lagged the nation and neighboring states in March 2024. Unemployment was third highest in the U.S.
Chicago Public Schools’ 20 ‘sustainable community schools’ perform worse on average than other Chicago public schools in reading and math, absenteeism, graduation rates and more. The Chicago Teachers Union is demanding 180 more of the failing schools.
The Chicago Teachers Union prides itself as a leader in “bargaining for the common good” – unionspeak for contract demands related to its political agenda rather than teachers’ wages and benefits. This year’s negotiations could reverberate across the nation.
Chronic absenteeism has been bad across the nation since the pandemic, but in Chicago it’s worse. That hurts students’ futures and the city’s wellbeing.
This edition of The Policy Shop is by Director of Fiscal and Economic Research Bryce Hill. The Illinois Policy Institute was very clear about just how wrong Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson was to push a hike in the real estate transfer tax to generate $100 million to address homelessness and affordable housing. Bad idea, with great potential...
“What’s really held Englewood back as a community is there’s not a lot of male mentors. A lot of us grew up without fathers and we don’t really have a positive male role model to look up to. When you take that away, we end up on the street or in jail.”
A new survey of economic indicators ranks Illinois 48th in the nation on 15 measures. High taxes, slow economic growth, people moving away and high public debt all pushed the state down.
A bill expanding emergency powers for a state agency passed the Illinois Senate and is in the Illinois House. Gov. J.B. Pritzker declared COVID-19 an emergency for more than 3 years, so why is the bill needed?
Keith Bass grew up in Chicago’s Englewood neighborhood, where as a young man he struggled to see a productive path forward for his life. That changed when he was mentored in entrepreneurship by Walter Mendenhall through the Male Mogul Initiative. On April 11, the initiative unveiled its new small business incubator, Co-llab, with Bass as...
St. Bede School in Ingleside will shut its doors without the support from Invest in Kids scholarships. Even a $500K fundraising effort failed to save the school.
Mayor Brandon Johnson has moved on from his failed tax hike and found a good answer to Chicago’s housing affordability issue. His “Cut the Tape” proposal would streamline the housing and commercial development process, increasing the supply and affordability.
In Illinois’ fifth year of recreational cannabis sales, it’s already made nearly $180 million in tax revenue. But it is losing sales to neighboring states with lower taxes.