In 2015 we published 115 stories about government corruption, fraud, waste and mismanagement. Our watchdog work also prompted 17 results.
Help us bring you more hard-hitting investigations and results in 2016.
Fatal Shootings By Chicago Police Tops Among Biggest U.S. Cities
Chicago police have shot and killed 70 people over a five-year period, the highest number among America’s 10 largest cities.
Feds Investigate Circuit Court Clerk
Federal authorities investigate after BGA/FOX 32 reported on a questionable land deal involving Cook County Circuit Court Clerk Dorothy Brown, her husband and a campaign donor.
Dead People Get Government Pensions
BGA finds Illinois’ largest pension funds send thousands of payments to deceased people, a sign of weak oversight in some taxpayer-subsidized retirement systems.
Bureaucracy Balloons At City Colleges
As enrollment declines and tuition rises at City Colleges of Chicago, the chancellor gets a big bonus and more administrators are earning six figures.
Taxpayers’ Toxic Tenant
The Metropolitan Water Reclamation District is supposed to safeguard our water supply, but it’s been leasing land to polluters, including an oil company with a history of chemical spills.
Privatization Ordinance Passes Chicago City Council
The BGA’s Policy Unit helped draft the new Privatization Transparency, Accountability and Performance Ordinance that became law in Chicago in November. The long-awaited ordinance is designed to increase transparency and accountability, and prevent another parking meter fiasco.
CPS Revises Grad Rates After BGA/WBEZ Report
Acknowledging graduation rates were inflated, Chicago Public Schools officials are now revising those overly rosy numbers.
Dems Dump Dorothy
Democratic Party strips away Dorothy Brown’s endorsement amid a criminal investigation, which sources say is also examining her husband’s business. The BGA and FOX 32 were the first to investigate questionable donations to Brown’s campaign in 2013.
Casino Hit With $2 Million Fine
The Illinois Gaming Board proposes fining Rivers Casino $2 million following a BGA inquiry involving a casino contractor.
School Official Heads To Prison
Following BGA investigations of financial irregularities, the Lyons Township School Treasurer is accused of embezzling $1.5 million, pleads guilty to theft and is sentenced to nine years in prison.
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