Illinois population drops for 10th year in a row during 2023
Illinois population drops for 10th year in a row during 2023
People moving out of Illinois led to the 10th consecutive year of population decline, new Census Bureau data shows.
Property taxes on ‘Home Alone’ house jump 57% in 1 year
Property taxes on ‘Home Alone’ house jump 57% in 1 year
The current owners Kevin McCallister’s house from “Home Alone” will pay more than $50,000 in property taxes this year. Illinoisans pay the second-highest property taxes in the nation on average.
Holiday travel expected to be second-busiest ever
Holiday travel expected to be second-busiest ever
Holiday travel this year is expected to be the second-busiest since AAA started tracking it in 2000. For Illinoisans, it means driving across a state line could avoid the nation’s second-highest gas taxes.
CTU: The Christmas gift that keeps on giving
CTU: The Christmas gift that keeps on giving
Chicago Teachers Union kills excelling schools to force students into dysfunction
Chicago Teachers Union kills excelling schools to force students into dysfunction
The Chicago Board of Education approved a resolution on Dec. 14 which will eliminate selective enrollment schools in the Chicago Public Schools district. It is yet another attempt by the Chicago Teachers Union and its allies to limit parents’ choices in their children’s educations.
Vallas: Chicago Teachers Union war on public school choice hurts poor, minority students
Vallas: Chicago Teachers Union war on public school choice hurts poor, minority students
Let’s be clear on who will be impacted by this unrelenting attack on school choice: poor Black and Latino students.
Illinois still hasn’t finalized contract with state workers
Illinois still hasn’t finalized contract with state workers
The contract negotiated between the state and AFSCME Council 31 was ratified by members in July. But the final contract has yet to be released, meaning taxpayers don’t yet know how much it will cost them.
Vallas: How to empower Chicago communities to save failing schools
Vallas: How to empower Chicago communities to save failing schools
Innovation can help Chicago Public Schools improve academic proficiency, but it requires breaking up the centralized power built by the Chicago Teachers Union and Chicago Public Schools. Local control can improve student outcomes.
Rob Calvin
Rob Calvin
Rob Calvin is a real estate agent with @properties. He’s concerned about how the proposed “mansion tax” will impact Chicago’s housing market, hurting properties well below the $1 million price point Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson is targeting through a ballot question. “I was watching [the city council] on Oct. 4 when they got into the...
Chicago Teachers Union, affiliates biggest spenders on Chicago politics
Chicago Teachers Union, affiliates biggest spenders on Chicago politics
The Chicago Teachers Union and its state and national affiliates spent nearly $6.5 million on Chicago political candidates between Feb. 28, 2022, and May 4, 2023.
Illinois again seeing one of most-contested elections in 2 decades
Illinois again seeing one of most-contested elections in 2 decades
Illinois politicians have worked hard to protect incumbent state lawmakers and discourage newcomers. But that is changing for the second election cycle in a row as more Illinoisans work to get into the Illinois General Assembly.
Chicago Teachers Union president misses deadline to pay back taxes, penalty
Chicago Teachers Union president misses deadline to pay back taxes, penalty
Chicago Teachers Union President Stacy Davis Gates missed the deadline to pay $1,533 in back taxes and penalties on her Indiana house. She was fined for taking a homeowner’s property tax break on a South Bend house she didn’t live in.
Brandon Johnson is toxic
Brandon Johnson is toxic
Vallas: ‘Illinois is back,’ but only in Pritzker’s active imagination
Vallas: ‘Illinois is back,’ but only in Pritzker’s active imagination
Gov. J.B. Pritzker told Crain’s Chicago Business, “Illinois is back.” But with a long list of state and local fiscal and economic problems, that is more spin than reality.