EXCLUSIVE
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.
A LEGACY OF FAILURES
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.
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.
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.
Public data at your fingertips
The Illinois Answers Project offers two easy-to-use databases of public information to bring greater clarity to how tax dollars are used.
Updated
Illinois Public Employee Salaries
Illinois Answers compiles the most comprehensive database to review, explore and compare compensation for public employees in Illinois.
Illinois Public Pensions
We collect data from the largest public pension systems in the state and centralize it into our Illinois Public Pensions Database.
more from Illinois answers
Greising: The Path to Solving Illinois’ Pension Crisis
With pension costs eating up 25% of the state budget, continued inaction is not an option. Here are steps Illinois can take.
Greising: Without Political Support, Illinois Can’t Move Forward on Pension Fix
This is the fourth in a five-part series, copublished with the Chicago Tribune, that examines possible solutions to the state’s pension crisis.
Connect With Us
The Illinois Answers Project is an investigations and solutions-focused nonprofit and nonpartisan news organization published by the Better Government Association. Launched in November 2022, the Illinois Answers Project identifies problems and solutions to significant Chicago and Illinois problems. Learn more
Newsletters
Subscribe to Illinois Answers newsletters for the latest Illinois news straight to your inbox.
Tips & Suggestions
Have a tip or an idea for a story? We’re interested. Contact us here.
Solutions
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.
As Chicago Considers a ‘Mansion Tax,’ Evanston and LA Show Potential Paths Forward
Evanston is using its additional revenue to fund a housing reparations effort. Meanwhile, Los Angeles’ new funds are frozen as the tax is challenged in court.
Investigations
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.
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 map below to find rat complaints across Chicago. How to use this searchable map This information reflects only what users submitted in their complaints to 311, but is not necessarily a statement of fact.
Fearless Reporting:
Help Us Fund More
Our newsroom recently won a Pulitzer Prize for investigative stories that exposed the failure of Chicago city officials to keep tenants safe from deadly fires. Help us demand solutions.
Opinion
Greising: Examining the Plans to Tackle Illinois’ Pension Debt
This is the third in a five-part series, copublished with the Chicago Tribune, that examines possible solutions to the state’s pension crisis.
Greising: What Illinois Can Learn from Other States’ Pension Reforms
This is the second in a five-part series, copublished with the Chicago Tribune, that examines possible solutions to the state’s pension crisis.
Greising: The Challenge to Erase Illinois’ $140 Billion in Pension Debt
This is the first in a five-part series, copublished with the Chicago Tribune, that examines possible solutions to the state’s pension crisis.
Greising: How Will Mayor Brandon Johnson Handle the Limits of His Power?
One of the biggest changes to the mayor’s powers, so far, is unfolding in the selection of a new police superintendent.
