“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.
Investigations
Posted inInvestigating Responses
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.
Posted inFollow-Up
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.
Posted inInvestigating Responses
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.
Posted inInvestigating Responses
Chicago Doesn’t Keep Track of Landlords. Renters Are Demanding Change.
Chicago’s building safety enforcement lags behind many peer cities. Boulder offers a model that Chicago could follow.
Posted inGovernment Finance & Accountability
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 rodent complaints, data shows.
Posted inGovernment Finance & Accountability
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 Chicago’s South and West sides.
Posted inInvestigating Responses
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.
Posted inGovernment Finance & Accountability
Local Governments Get Slapped with Rat-Related Tickets
In the past four-and-a-half years, the City of Chicago has fined local agencies, including the CHA and the Cook County Land Bank Authority, more than $750,000.
Posted inGovernment Finance & Accountability
Chicago Rat Problem Map: Search Rat Complaints Across the City
An Illinois Answers Project and Block Club Chicago joint investigation found that Chicagoans made more than 214,000 complaints for rat abatement from 2019 through the end of 2022. Search the […]
