On the same day Gov. Pritzker unveiled his latest spending plan and our ex-con former governor brought his circus back to town, it becomes clear: For the good of the state, fiscal renewal and ethics reform must go hand in hand.
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Posted inNews
Fact-Check: Lipinski Revives GOP Talking Point on ACA Medicare Change
U.S. Rep. Daniel Lipinski recently explained his vote against the Affordable Care Act by claiming it took money from Medicare. The landmark health care law reduced future growth in program spending, but it did not take away existing dollars.
Posted inOpinion
Greising: If Pritzker Wants Real Pension Reform, He May Need to Amend His ‘Fantasy’ Swipe
Pritzker’s plan would replace Illinois’ flat tax with a graduated income tax projected to increase revenue by $3.6 billion a year, chiefly by hiking tax rates on the top 3% of all earners.
Posted inGovernment Finance & Accountability
‘It’s A Fixed Cost. That’s All I Ask’: A Politician’s Pitch For Campaign Cash
While seeking a tax break from Cook County, a suburban factory owner says he felt pressured into contributing to a county commissioner’s campaign fund.
Posted inGovernment Finance & Accountability
Chicago Aldermen Call for Hearings Into Failing City Recycling Programs
Citing an investigation by the BGA that revealed systemic failures in Chicago’s Blue Cart recycling program, aldermen demand public examination aimed at improving the city’s worst-in-the-nation programs.
Posted inNews
Fact-Check: Have Carbon Emissions Increased Under Trump?
U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky is correct the nation has seen an increase in emissions in the time since Trump took office. After a significant spike in 2018, however, emissions fell again last year.
Posted inOpinion
Greising: Can TIFs Promote Equity? Lightfoot Aims to Find Out.
The mayor has a lot of work to do before the city can plausibly claim its tax-increment financing investments are advancing the cause of racial justice in any meaningful way.
Posted inOpinion
Greising: CPD’s Charlie Beck May Be ‘Interim’ Top Cop, But His Impact Will Be Lasting
Lightfoot wanted a change-maker. She got one. And the changes Beck is making will set the Chicago Police Department in a new direction that is long overdue.
Posted inNews
Fact-Check: No, Casten Did Not Call for Trump’s Impeachment Before Mueller Report Release
Congressional candidate Jeanne Ives claimed U.S. Rep. Sean Casten came out in support of impeaching President Trump before the Mueller report was even released. That’s not the case.
Posted inNews
Submit Now for the 2020 Richard H. Driehaus Foundation Awards for Investigative Reporting
The Costly Toll of Dead-end Drug Arrests, published in December, examined how thousands of Chicagoans — mostly Black men — are arrested on drug possession charges judges, police and prosecutors all know will never stick.
