As City Battles Housing Shortage, CHA Lets Hundreds Of Empty Homes Decay
The Chicago Housing Authority is supposed to provide affordable homes for those in need. But the agency has nearly 500 scattered-site units that are vacant — many causing problems for their neighbors.
City Goes After Firms That Owe $15M in Rat-related Tickets After Illinois Answers/Block Club Investigation
The debtor is a real estate empire that’s looking for a big payday by selling land for the Red Line expansion. But the city says not so fast.
5 Ways Lawmakers Could Boost Equity in Illinois’ Stalled Cannabis Industry
“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.
More From Illinois Answers
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.
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.
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.
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BGA Names Ruby L. Bailey Editor of Illinois Answers Project
Ruby L. Bailey, a seasoned newsroom leader with a deepappreciation of the power of journalism to prompt positive change, is joining the Better Government Association’s Illinois Answers Project as editor-in-chief. Bailey joins Illinois Answers from USA Today, where she served as consumer editor. Prior to that, she was opinion and…
Illinois Answers Project Welcomes 2 Reporters to Launch State Embed Initiative
The Illinois Answers Project has welcomed two journalists for its new state investigative and solutions team funded by The Richard H. Driehaus Foundation. Embedded investigative reporters Grace Hauck and Meredith Newman joined the newsroom this fall and are working to collaborate with local newsrooms across Illinois. The team is also hiring…
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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
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Solutions
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.
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.
Investigations
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.
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Opinion
Greising: Maintaining Chicago Police Accountability in New Contract Will Require a Tricky Legal Maneuver
Chicago police are demanding that cops facing suspensions and outright dismissals, should be able to seek arbitration rather than a public hearing.
Greising: Mayor Brandon Johnson’s First Budget Shows That the Realities of the Job Have Sunk In
For his first budget, Mayor Brandon Johnson seeks to preserve the progressive vision longer term while dealing with political and fiscal constraints.
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.
