Illinois Issues: State Constitution Turns 45
The Illinois Constitution turns 45 next week. As the document nears its birthday, Charlie Wheeler looks at the ways it modernized government.
View ArticleEquity: Why Is The Middle Class Shrinking?
The middle class is no longer the nation’s economic majority. That is according to last week’s Pew Research Center analysis of government data, and a local economist says the trends for the nation are...
View ArticleIllinois Issues: No Place To Call Home - Pt. 3
The state budget impasse could put more young people out on the streets this winter.
View ArticleIllinois Issues: Top Stories of 2015
Illinois got a new governor in 2015 but not a budget. In terms of state government, a lot has—and hasn’t — happened in the past year.
View ArticleIllinois Issues: New Year, New Laws
More than 200 new laws will go into effect in Illinois on January 1.
View ArticleIllinois Issues: What Will It Take To Stem Mass Incarceration?
Most experts say the governor’s target of a 25 percent reduction in the state's prison population can't be met by simply backing off the war on drugs. Instead, policymakers will have to look beyond the...
View ArticleIllinois Issues: What's Ahead in 2016?
Lawmakers return to Springfield with some new ideas, but the unfinished business of 2015 will likely overshadow other topics in the second year of the legislative session.
View ArticleIllinois Issues: Black Lives Matter — More Than A Hashtag
It’s one of the largest activist movements since the civil rights era of the 1960s. It’s more than just a hashtag, and it’s about more than police. What's the impact of Black Lives Matter as an...
View ArticleIllinois Issues: What Are Consent Decrees?
Gov. Bruce Rauner says he wants to get the state out of legal agreements called consent decrees. The deals are a big part of the reason the government is still operating without a budget; they also...
View ArticleIllinois Issues: State Of The State — Light At The End Of The Tunnel Or...
Commentary — Might we be seeing light at the end of the tunnel? Or is it the headlamps of the ongoing train wreck that is Illinois, picking up speed? Such questions came to mind listening to Gov. Bruce...
View ArticleIllinois Issues: Refugees Seek A Haven In Troubled Times
Historically, Illinois has been a leading state in refugee resettlement, but lately it seems less welcoming to some.
View ArticleIllinois Issues: Governor’s Budget Proposal Looks Past Current Crisis
Gov. Bruce Rauner’s plan for next fiscal year seeks to fix the foundation while the house is on fire.
View ArticleIllinois Issues: What Comes After No Child Left Behind?
Congress recently authorized a complete rewrite of the unpopular No Child Left Behind Act. What does that mean for Illinois?
View ArticleIllinois Issues: Pension Penalty Amendment Stripped From ESSA
The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) was signed into law by President Barack Obama a few months ago.The new law replaces the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act, which went into effect in 2002. Some...
View ArticleIllinois Issues: Madigan v. Rauner Playing Out In Primary Fights
A couple of legislative primary races are serving as stand-ins for the political struggle between the governor and Democratic leaders.
View ArticleIllinois Issues: Budget Fix Needs Statesmanship, Not Magic Tricks
The governor's budget address had few specifics about his priorities, or his plans to balance the state's spending with its revenue.
View ArticleIllinois Issues: Campaign Shenanigans In The State Have Been Known To Turn...
The country seems especially divided over the 2016 race for president. But there was a time in Illinois history when division led to bloodshed over political campaigns.
View ArticleIllinois Issues: Expecting Fairness
A new state law aims to end the days of women having to choose between a healthy pregnancy and work, but has it been effective?
View ArticleIllinois Issues: The Next Pension Time Bomb
Illinois has more than $100 billion in pension debt. So far, attempts to fix it have been mostly illegal.
View ArticleIllinois Issues: What Can Save The Bees?
Bees are essential to our lives, yet they are dying by the thousands. Experts say there's no one solution for protecting them.
View ArticleIllinois Issues: Rauner, Trump And The Lure Of The CEO Politician
With victories Tuesday in Illinois and elsewhere, Donald Trump is continuing his march toward the Republican presidential nomination. Those contemplating what a Trump presidency would look like might...
View ArticleIllinois Issues: Panhandling Laws Face Renewed Legal Challenges
Cities in Illinois and across the country have laws regulating panhandling. But courts are tossing them out, and Springfield’s ordinance could be next. How can local governments balance First Amendment...
View ArticleIllinois Issues: Budget Impasse Blurs Future For The Class of 2016
High school seniors who plan to go on to college should be finalizing their dorm and roommate choices about now. But this year, those decisions aren’t about who brings the mini-fridge. With a total...
View ArticleIllinois Issues: Why Does The State Have A Flat Income Tax?
Illinois is one of only eight states with a flat income tax. The reasons can be traced to the state’s first-ever successful attempt at putting an income tax in place. An effort to change the current...
View ArticleIllinois Issues: Budget Impasse Not Over Yet
Looking beyond our state’s borders and into Illinois’ past for a playbook to end the current budget standoff.
View ArticleIllinois Issues: A Schooling in Democracy
State lawmakers are considering whether school board members in Chicago should be elected — as they are in all other Illinois school districts.
View ArticleIllinois Issues: Budget Crisis Could Have Been Averted Before The Current...
Bipartisan working groups are currently trying to find a way out of the budget impasse. But the crisis could have been prevented long before the battle between Gov. Bruce Rauner and Democratic leaders...
View ArticleIllinois Issues: Focus On Heroin Leaves Little Attention On Meth
The state’s heroin crisis has captured headlines and the attention of lawmakers. But in the past few years, the number of methamphetamine lab busts has crept back up, and law enforcement officials say...
View ArticleIllinois Issues: Budget Impasse May Prove Setback To Governor’s Prison...
Soon after taking office, Gov. Bruce Rauner set a goal of cutting Illinois' prison population by a quarter over the next decade. But the current budget crisis has cut off funding for programs that...
View ArticleIllinois Issues: Chicago Mayors Have History Of Axing Top Cops Instead Of...
After video of a white Chicago police officer shooting a black teenager 16 times was released to the public, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel became the focus of intense backlash. He responded by firing...
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