• ABC 7 Chicago Weekend Watch

    Tune in to ABC-7 Saturday morning at 8:30 a.m. to catch the latest Weekend Watch segment where we focus a spotlight on government. Director of Policy Bryan Zarou will discuss BGA policy team's overall thoughts from the big players in support/against Lightfoot's proposal, the key parts of the budget, where the shortcomings are and how this affects communities

  • Understanding Cook County’s Pattern of Dead-End Drug Arrests

    In Cook County, thousands of people are arrested every year for possessing small amounts of drugs only to have their cases thrown out just days later. It’s due to an unwritten rule in the courts that costs millions of dollars in taxes and costs those getting arrested their jobs, their homes and their freedom.

    A new investigation, “Dead-End Drug Arrests,” examines this pattern in Cook County. The Better Government Association and the Chicago Sun-Times found those charged with carrying less than one gram of drugs are still routinely arrested although their charges are overwhelmingly dismissed in the earliest stages of their court cases.

  • ABC 7 Chicago Weekend Watch

    Tune in to ABC-7 Saturday morning at 8:30 a.m. to catch the latest Weekend Watch segment where we focus a spotlight on government. David Kidwell, BGA's special projects editor,will discuss "Cabrini-Green: A History of Broken Promises." - a multi-part series by senior investigative reporter Alejandra Cancino, who spent a year sifting through hundreds of documents and conducted dozens of interviews to document the broken promises, delays and neglect of the Cabrini-Green public housing complex.

  • ABC 7 Chicago Weekend Watch

    Tune in to ABC-7 Saturday morning at 8:30 a.m. to catch the latest Weekend Watch segment where we focus a spotlight on government. BGA President and CEO David Greising wrote a column breaking down the Mayor's strategy that includes solutions like increasing the involvement of the feds, suspending custody alternatives for people who have been charged with violent crimes (i.e. electronic monitoring). Cook County Public Defender Sharone Mitchell and many law advocates have opposed Lightfoot's plans — Mitchell even calling it "unconstitutional." The Mayor expects to put a strategy in place by summer 2022.

  • Virtual Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Training

    Online event

    FOIA is a critically important tool in every investigative reporter's toolkit. Join us for a virtual training with Freedom of Information attorney Matt Topic for a refresher on filing FOIA […]

  • Meet the Newsroom: Humboldt Park

    TASA Coffee Roasters 4136 W North Ave, Chicago, IL, United States

    Join the reporters of the Illinois Answers Project and let us know what you see as the biggest issues in the Humboldt Park Community and what issues you care about […]

  • Centennial Celebration & Annual Luncheon

    Hilton Chicago, Grand Ballroom 720 South Michigan Avenue, Chicago, Illinois

    Please join the Better Government Association at our Centennial Celebration & Annual Luncheon. Proceeds from this event will directly fuel our Illinois Answers Project’s investigative and solutions-based newsroom, incisive BGA […]