LATEST
How Black Investors are Taking Back a Legal Tool to Restore Affordable Housing on South, West Sides
For decades, big investors profited off neglected buildings at the expense of predominantly Black neighborhoods. Now, the Community Receiver Program is working to ‘right historical wrongs’ by empowering residents to use receivership in a new way.
Alderpeople Want Meetings With CHA Boss After Investigation Revealed Vacant, Decaying Properties
City Council leaders, including the housing committee chair, renewed calls for CHA officials to attend regular hearings after an Illinois Answers/Block Club investigation found the agency is sitting on hundreds of vacant homes.
As City Battles Housing Shortage, CHA Lets Hundreds Of Empty Homes Decay
The Chicago Housing Authority is supposed to provide affordable homes for those in need. But the agency has nearly 500 scattered-site units that are vacant — many causing problems for their neighbors.
City Goes After Firms That Owe $15M in Rat-related Tickets After Illinois Answers/Block Club Investigation
The debtor is a real estate empire that’s looking for a big payday by selling land for the Red Line expansion. But the city says not so fast.
5 Ways Lawmakers Could Boost Equity in Illinois’ Stalled Cannabis Industry
“If we don’t provide real, intentional help for these social equity dreamers, we’re going to let them down as a state. All of their money will be lost,” a key lawmaker said.
CHICAGO’S RAT BATTLE
City Plans to Spend $1.5 Million More to Fight Rats in 2024
The budget boost calls for three new rat-fighting crews as Chicago continues to be the “rattiest” in America.
Why Chicago is Losing the War on Rats
New York has a Rat Czar. Other cities are trying new trapping methods. But the “rattiest city in America” can’t keep up with skyrocketing…
One Real Estate Empire, $15M in Unpaid Rat-Related Tickets
A group of real estate companies managed by a north suburban woman has racked up hundreds of rat-related tickets on properties — many on…
East Coast Cities Are Zapping Rats With High-Tech Traps
SMART Boxes shock rats with electricity, collect their carcasses, then share data wirelessly with local officials.
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more from Illinois answers
BGA Names Ruby L. Bailey Editor of Illinois Answers Project
Ruby L. Bailey, a seasoned newsroom leader with a deepappreciation of the power of journalism to prompt positive change, is joining the Better Government Association’s Illinois Answers Project as editor-in-chief.…
Illinois Answers Project Welcomes 2 Reporters to Launch State Embed Initiative
The Illinois Answers Project has welcomed two journalists for its new state investigative and solutions team funded by The Richard H. Driehaus Foundation. Embedded investigative reporters Grace Hauck and Meredith…
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The Illinois Answers Project is an investigations and solutions-focused nonprofit and nonpartisan news organization published by the Better Government Association. Launched in November 2022, the Illinois Answers Project identifies problems and solutions to significant Chicago and Illinois problems. Learn more
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Solutions
Illinois Doled Out Millions to Pot Growers. It Still May Not Be Enough to Save the Industry.
As independent ‘craft growers’ in Illinois struggle to secure financing for their cannabis businesses, a state-backed fund has emerged as a key lifeline.
As Chicago Punts on Apartment Safety, Denver Shows What’s Possible
Chicago has no way of tracking landlords, nor does it require rental units to be inspected. That was the case in Colorado’s largest city, until officials decided to do something about it.
Investigations
Records Raise Questions on CPS Transparency Over Near South Side High School Plan
Chicago Public Schools promised to listen to residents concerning the school location but did closed door planning for months. Appraisals for purchased land differ by millions of dollars, records show.
City Has Spent Only 15% of $52M in Federal Money Dedicated for Homeless Programs
Two years after receiving the COVID-era funding, Chicago has been slow off the mark with some of its programs to help people experiencing homelessness.
Opinion
Greising: Maintaining Chicago Police Accountability in New Contract Will Require a Tricky Legal Maneuver
Chicago police are demanding that cops facing suspensions and outright dismissals, should be able to seek arbitration rather than a public hearing.
Greising: Mayor Brandon Johnson’s First Budget Shows That the Realities of the Job Have Sunk In
For his first budget, Mayor Brandon Johnson seeks to preserve the progressive vision longer term while dealing with political and fiscal constraints.
Greising: The Path to Solving Illinois’ Pension Crisis
With pension costs eating up 25% of the state budget, continued inaction is not an option. Here are steps Illinois can take.
