Gina Williams
Gina Williams
Pritzker gas taxes add to $72 fill-up to get kids to sports
Illinois is No. 1 in government units, keeping property taxes sky high
Illinois is No. 1 in government units, keeping property taxes sky high
Illinois has 6,032 local governments, the most in the nation by a wide margin – and that excludes 859 school districts. It’s the main reason Illinoisans pay the nation’s second-highest property taxes.
Union power vote, population loss threaten Illinois’ labor market recovery
Union power vote, population loss threaten Illinois’ labor market recovery
Key indicators show Illinois’ labor market could begin adding jobs faster than the national economy if population decline and Amendment 1 don’t derail the state’s trajectory.
Pritzker defends forcing gas station owners to put his propaganda on pumps
Pritzker defends forcing gas station owners to put his propaganda on pumps
Gov. J.B. Pritzker said making filling stations advertise his temporary gas tax suspension or pay $500 a day in fines was not forced political speech. But an association of 500 small petroleum businesses is suing because they believe otherwise.
Experts: highway camera bills on Pritzker’s desk ripe for abuse
Experts: highway camera bills on Pritzker’s desk ripe for abuse
Two bills on Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s desk would spend $20 million to add license plate monitoring cameras to 6,600 miles of highways in 22 counties. Civil rights groups fret about abuse. Illinois State Police can’t say they increase safety.
Illinois schools push district consolidation to fix teacher shortage
Illinois schools push district consolidation to fix teacher shortage
School board members in rural Illinois said district consolidation will ease staff shortages made worse by the pandemic. A statewide look at district consolidation could cut administrative overhead and put $732 million more into classrooms.
Ep. 34: So sue me: Amendment 1 lawsuit
Ep. 34: So sue me: Amendment 1 lawsuit
The most important issue on the Nov. 8 general election ballot is something most Illinoisans haven’t heard about yet. As it stands right now, when voters head to the polls this fall, the very first question on the ballot will ask if Illinois should amend its constitution to grant Illinois union leaders the most extreme...
Lightfoot reacts to record Chicago speed camera tickets with limited relief
Lightfoot reacts to record Chicago speed camera tickets with limited relief
Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced relief for low-income residents just weeks after an Illinois Policy Institute investigation found her lower threshold for speed camera tickets created more fines in 2021 than Chicago has residents.
Rising Illinois energy costs are legacy of Madigan’s corruption
Rising Illinois energy costs are legacy of Madigan’s corruption
Laws that go around the normal rate-setting process are driving up energy prices for Illinois consumers. These laws were central to the scandal that brought down the nation’s longest-serving House speaker.
Chicago ex-alderman charged with bribery might keep pension
Chicago ex-alderman charged with bribery might keep pension
Ex-Alderman Danny Solis handed federal prosecutors the top politicians in Chicago and the Statehouse to get out of bribery charges. His deal could let him keep his pension – a ploy too common in Illinois as voters consider Amendment 1’s potential for protecting pension abuse.
Lightfoot orders her name on $12.5M in gas, transit cards
Lightfoot orders her name on $12.5M in gas, transit cards
Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s name will be on 150,000 prepaid gas and transit cards she plans to raffle off to Chicagoans. She’s trying again after aldermen initially rejected the $12.5 million proposal as an election stunt.
Illinois parents, teachers sue to get unconstitutional union boost off ballot
Illinois parents, teachers sue to get unconstitutional union boost off ballot
Amendment 1, billed as a “Workers' Rights Amendment,” actually covers so much more that it violates the U.S. Constitution. Parents and teachers worrying about it emboldening already militant teachers unions are suing to get it off the ballot.
Illinois lawmakers increase salaries to 4th highest in U.S.
Illinois lawmakers increase salaries to 4th highest in U.S.
Springfield lawmakers will be the fourth-highest paid legislators in the nation after giving themselves a $2,700 raise in the 2023 state budget. Lawmakers’ salaries have increased 8% since Gov. J.B. Pritzker took office.
Illinois’ half-baked marijuana legalization costs state $600M
Illinois’ half-baked marijuana legalization costs state $600M
A complex system of high taxes and restrictive licensing undermines the goals of marijuana legalization proponents – leaving $600 million in potential revenue uncollected while helping the illegal drug trade.