Perspectives: The Powers That Be
Rauner’s fantasy ‘grand bargain’ is a deal breaker for schools
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The governor’s budget proposal fails to reform the regressive revenue system at the heart of Illinois’ fiscal crisis.
Employment and Labor
Chicago’s lax enforcement of minimum wage hike leaves workers in the lurch
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Unlike in other cities, no new resources have been dedicated to policing new labor ordinances in Chicago, resulting in toothless oversight and few options for underpaid workers to recoup wages.
Perspectives: The Powers That Be
Illinois legislators OK corporate tax giveaway amid budget crisis
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In a bipartisan vote, lawmakers approved extending EDGE tax credits, a costly program shown to be ineffective at maintaining jobs in the state.
Criminal Justice
Can Chicago take on police union contracts this year?
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Activists are targeting provisions that shield officers from accountability for reform but the process is unlikely to be easy, or cheap.
Perspectives: The Powers That Be
Emanuel’s plan could leave city retirees without health insurance
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A City of Chicago health care subsidy for retirees is being phased out at the same time as President-elect Donald Trump seeks to repeal Obamacare.
Perspectives: The Powers That Be
Rauner’s war on unions brings Illinois to the brink
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By provoking AFSCME to the verge of a strike and vetoing Chicago Public Schools funding, the governor shows how disastrous running government like a business can be.
Perspectives: The Powers That Be
Emanuel’s growing collection of slush funds
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In a city struggling to provide basic services, the mayor has set up huge pots of off-budget funds to dole out to developers with little oversight.
Perspectives: The Powers That Be
For Rauner and Emanuel, politics trumps policy on electoral reform
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Automatic voter registration in Illinois and a small-donor match program in Chicago have been held hostage by elected officials with incumbencies to protect.
Behind the Data
Who benefited from same-day voter registration in Chicago?
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As Illinois’ same-day registration law faces a legal challenge, here’s the racial breakdown on where Chicagoans took advantage of it in the first election since it was enacted.
Settling for Misconduct
How Emanuel’s police lawsuit budget puts more burden on taxpayers
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Year after year, Chicago spends much more than planned on police payouts and relies on costly borrowing to make up the difference.