The Illinois Supreme Court rejected a petition to invalidate votes on the “Bring Chicago Home” referendum. Voting ends March 19.
Illinois’ population decline crisis continues to affect virtually all counties despite fewer losses in 2023. Cook County saw nation’s second-highest number of residents moving out.
‘Bring Chicago Home’ advocates claim there are 68,000 homeless Chicagoans, but that’s 10 times higher than the estimate recognized by the federal government. If the problem is exaggerated, what will Mayor Brandon Johnson do with his tax hike money?
The Chicago Teachers Union is pushing Mayor Brandon Johnson’s real estate tax hike with cash and by taking students out of school to vote. The heavy push is understandable when CTU mentions the tax hike as a revenue source for their contract demands.
Today’s average CPS teacher has seen a salary increase of 86% since the 2011-2012 school year. That’s over 2.5 times faster than inflation or the private sector.
“I was arrested and framed for murder four days after turning 16 years old. I have an ongoing multimillion-dollar lawsuit.” “To this day, the U.S. Attorney’s office hasn’t produced one criminal prosecution of this crew, but at the time in Humboldt Park there was a group of detectives who were basically running as a criminal...
“Bring Chicago Home” would classify more than 100 grocery stores as high-end properties that need to “pay their fair share” if sold. Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson’s rhetoric fails to match his tax hike’s realities.
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson’s real estate transfer tax hike comes with no guarantees he won’t use the money for things other than homeless relief. So why should voters believe he won’t hand the money to his cronies at the Chicago Teachers Union?
Even though the number of violent crimes in Chicago grew to its highest level in a decade last year, the arrest rate dropped. Robbery and vehicle theft both rose by over 30% last year.
March 19 primary ballots ask Chicago voters whether they support Mayor Brandon Johnson's real estate transfer tax hike. While he and 'Bring Chicago Home' advocates claim money will help homeless Chicagoans, there is reason to worry about hurting 5,143 commercial properties with no guarantee how this 'mansion tax' will be used.
The following is an ethics complaint from the Illinois Policy Institute filed March 11 with the Chicago Public Schools ethics office and inspector general.
Six of the 13 Illinois metro areas still reported fewer jobs than prior to the pandemic. Six metros added jobs from December 2023 to January 2024, led by the Champaign-Urbana area.