Illinois’ comeback story starts here.

The Policy Shop: Brandon Johnson’s sinking mayorship

The Policy Shop: Brandon Johnson’s sinking mayorship

This edition of The Policy Shop is by assistant editor Dylan Sharkey. Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson just barely won the city election less than a year ago, with about 26,500 of the city’s nearly 1.6 million registered voters handing him the race. A lot has changed since then, and voters are much more polarized in their views...

Samantha Danielle

Samantha Danielle

“Alcohol licensing was easy at the federal level. I am an importer and wholesale distributor, but then you have to get it at the state level because prohibition and bootlegging made it a state-by-state decision on how to sell alcohol.”

Illinois No. 2 in the nation for gas taxes

Illinois No. 2 in the nation for gas taxes

Illinoisans pay the nation’s second-highest gas taxes behind only Californians, thanks to Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s automatic gas tax hikes. The next gas tax hike is scheduled for July 1.

By Dylan Sharkey

Illinois shorts higher ed by nearly $530M compared to 15 years ago

Illinois shorts higher ed by nearly $530M compared to 15 years ago

Illinois’ institutions of higher education will get nearly $530 million less from lawmakers to run this year than they did in fiscal year 2009, adjusted for inflation. Coupled with rapidly rising pensions, students and their families can expect ever-higher tuition costs.

By Patrick Andriesen