Factcheck

Gov. Bruce Rauner’s running mate claims a push by Democrats to replace Illinois’ flat-rate income tax with progressive rates that charge higher earners more would be the opposite of progressive and lead to higher taxes.

Illinois has racked up a mountain of interest penalties for paying bills late after a record budget impasse. The Democrat hoping to unseat Gov. Bruce Rauner says it’s all the Republican’s fault, but the facts tell a more complicated story.

The nation’s third-largest school district comes up short on staffing compared to the rest of the state, a fact that undercuts prevailing assumptions about bureaucratic bloat and raises questions about how district funds are being spent.

Gov. Bruce Rauner continues to take heat for his response to repeated outbreaks of Legionnaires’ disease at a state-run veterans’ home. Recently, he made an unsupported claim about what initiated the crisis that does nothing to refute those critiques.

Mayoral hopeful Lori Lightfoot said Chicago is the only “metropolitan area” in the nation losing population, a claim that wins her no points for clarity and skirts the edge of credibility.

Illinois’ former governor once expressed remorse for misdeeds, but years in prison have him lashing out in print at the federal agents who put him there for allegedly criminalizing normal political conduct. His own words and actions belie the claim.

The governor contends manufacturing workers have a better chance of finding union jobs in Texas than in Illinois, despite the Prairie State’s more union-friendly policies. His numbers add up, but don’t quite prove his point.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions recently cited an academic study that claims a surge in deadly violence in Chicago was caused by ACLU pressure to end the city’s stop-and-frisk policing policy. Experts say the study is flawed and ignores other critical factors.

President Donald Trump headed to Dallas to speak to members of the National Rifle Association, repeating a familiar talking point about Chicago’s gun laws.

A political progressive who hopes to challenge Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s re-election complains the city is shorting vital services while lavishing six-figure compensation on many workers, including tree trimmers.