It’s not often that Menard County Jail has a detainee who has been found unfit for trial. The jail, just north of Springfield, is small. With a census that can […]
Investigations
Posted inStatewide Investigations
How Illinois is now prioritizing outpatient fitness restoration
Gov. JB Pritzker signed a law this summer that public defenders say will better clarify when someone found unfit for trial should undergo outpatient fitness restoration. The law, which goes […]
Posted inCriminal Justice & Public Safety
Chicago Police Withhold Border Patrol Shooting Videos, Citing Probe of Chief Accused of Calling Off Cops
Patrol Chief Jon Hein faced a flood of criticism — from ex-cops, internet trolls and members of his own department — after his officers were ordered not to respond to the Oct. 4 shooting in Brighton Park.
Posted inStatewide Investigations
‘They are literally targeting people.’ ICE comes to southern Illinois
CARLYLE, Ill. — When Jose Jeronimo Guardian showed up at a Spanish language traffic court this week, he didn’t expect to be detained and face expulsion from a country he’d […]
Posted inInvestigating Responses
These Counties Spend Transit Tax Money on Ride Services. They’re Lifelines for Thousands of Residents
Fledgling dial-a-ride networks are filling gaps in public transit in the collar counties, but they struggle to meet demand.
Posted inGovernment Finance & Accountability
A Little-Known Legal Loophole Has Scrambled State Efforts to Save Transit Agencies From Financial Disaster
Suburban counties last year spent $83M in RTA sales taxes on jails and courts, and they are not giving that money up as the state scrapes for cash.
Posted inFollow-Up
Hundreds Of Lots Owned By ‘City’s Worst Landowner’ Went Up For Sale. But Only A Fraction Have Sold
Parcels that belonged to Suzie B. Wilson and her sister accumulated $15 million in city fines for rat-related violations. Hundreds are still sitting empty without any promise of redevelopment.
Posted inGovernment Finance & Accountability
Calls For ‘Belt-Tightening’ in Chicago Budget Face Hurdles Amid Few Options for Pain-Free Cuts
Cutting city spending faces at least as many logistical and political challenges as raising taxes, an Illinois Answers Project analysis found.
Posted inEquity & Economic Opportunity
‘Granny Flats’ Poised For Expansion — But Only in Neighborhoods Where Alderpeople Allow Them
The new law will allow more coach house construction and conversions but will likely create confusion and increase costs, advocates say.
Posted inInvestigations
Brace For Impact: Tax Hikes Loom For South, West Side Homeowners
Property assessments double for 37,000 homes in Chicago’s historically neglected neighborhoods amid fresh investor interest.
