Illinois has racked up a mountain of interest penalties for paying bills late after a record budget impasse. The Democrat hoping to unseat Gov. Bruce Rauner says it’s all the Republican’s fault, but the facts tell a more complicated story.
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Posted inNews
Fact-Check: Is CPS the Most Understaffed District in Illinois?
The nation’s third-largest school district comes up short on staffing compared to the rest of the state, a fact that undercuts prevailing assumptions about bureaucratic bloat and raises questions about how district funds are being spent.
Posted inEquity & Economic Opportunity
Senior Frustrations About Broken Elevators Erupt As CHA Leaders Meet
Elderly CHA residents demanding action on elevators disrupt a CHA board meeting. The protest follows a BGA/WBEZ investigation into chronic problems that have led to hundreds of vulnerable and often frail seniors trapped in elevators or in their apartments.
Posted inNews
Fact-Check: Rauner’s Legionnaires’ Claim Misses the Mark—and the Point
Gov. Bruce Rauner continues to take heat for his response to repeated outbreaks of Legionnaires’ disease at a state-run veterans’ home. Recently, he made an unsupported claim about what initiated the crisis that does nothing to refute those critiques.
Posted inOpinion
Greising: Will Elon Musk’s Chicago Dream Come True?
Details must be examined before this deal moves ahead. What little we now know gives the hint of a sweet deal for Musk.
Posted inGovernment Finance & Accountability
Reality Check Time for Metra: The Downside of Frugality
A reluctance to spend has led the suburban rail system to cars decades out of date and a bottom line that has never appeared bleaker.
Posted inOpinion
Oh, the Humanity! One-man Ouchy Rahm Emanuel, a Preschool Teacher?
Chicago’s tough-talking mayor is known for charging headfirst into politics in his 20s, but teaching preschoolers? We weren’t familiar with that one.
Posted inNews
Podcast: Open Primaries with John Opdycke
On this episode of Ready Set Gov, we interview John Opdycke President of a New York nonprofit, Open Primaries. Illinois currently does not have open primaries, which rubs some voters the wrong way. John walks us through how Open Primaries can help voters elect officials that better reflect their views, rather than their party affiliations.
Posted inOpinion
Greising: Rauner Achieves No Political Goals in 2019 Illinois Budget
Bruce Rauner made only two demands of lawmakers as they prepared a fiscal 2019 budget, and on both scores, the governor can only kind of, sort of declare victory.
Posted inGovernment Finance & Accountability
Illinois’ Population Is Falling, but the Sky Isn’t
Census estimates in recent years point to a shrinking Illinois, but the severity of the drop gets overstated while attempts to blame it on high taxes get overblown.
