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APRIL 8, 2013: After 2011 groundbreaking investigation with Center on Wrongful Convictions, reform measures slowly surface even as settlements continue to stack up, heading toward $300 million-plus.
Wrongful Conviction Costs Keep Climbing
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MARCH 26, 2013: BGA’s new government retiree database of 400,000 reveals those getting big money.
While Systems Go Bust, Public Pension Elites Profit
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MARCH 6, 2013: Will issue Executive Order to cut 75 redundant and expensive boards and commissions.
Gov. Quinn Chops Away At Bloated State Panels
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FEBRUARY 2, 2013: County treasurer helps property owners understand how they're getting burned by government bloat and soaring taxes.
Breathing Fire
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NOVEMBER 29, 2012: Despite state pension woes and ailing finances, legislators among nation's highest paid, a BGA "Rescuing Illinois" examination reveals.
While Illinois Hits Bottom, Lawmakers Get Top Dollar
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SEPTEMBER 14, 2012: Dennis Gianopolus is an attorney for Cal City’s municipal government. But he’s not full-time, and also maintains a private law practice with other clients. So why does he stand to collect a six-figure taxpayer-funded pension some day?
A Perplexing Pension in Calumet City
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AUGUST 6, 2012: Municipalities must recognize the danger of the local debt crisis and use it as an opportunity to regain control of their finances and fate.
Editorial: Municipalities’ New Frontier: Ending Local Debt Disaster
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JULY 31, 2012: A BGA Rescuing Illinois investigation finds a flood of red ink is crashing over Chicago-area suburbs, threatening to sweep away basic government-backed services and support while also dramatically altering the very standard of living that makes many of them desirable places to live, work and raise families.
Special Investigation: Public Debt Crisis Hits Home Town, Illinois
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JUNE 18, 2012: Taxpayers are left holding the bag as Lansing leaders give pay hikes to cops and firefighters as they retire – prompting pensions to soar.
Lansing’s Last-Day Raises Last a Lifetime
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APRIL 18, 2012: The mammoth state teachers’ pension fund spent $1.3 billion for 10-years worth of financial expertise. Critics argue that’s way too high; Teachers Retirement System says it’s a cost of doing business.
Sticker Shock: Lofty Fees, Low Returns
Editorial: Teachers Retirement System's Next Lesson: Slicing Fees
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FEBRUARY 2, 2012: A series of investigations shining a light on the state's school systems.
Ill-Gotten Gains? At CPS,
Unused Sick Days Pay Off
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NOVEMBER 8, 2011: A series of investigations exploring taxpayer-supported and government-sanctioned boards and commissions.
Illinois Human Rights Commission: Top Pay, Benefits for Part-Timers
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NOVEMBER 7, 2011: Spawned during the late 1800s, township governments in suburban Cook County continue to operate at the taxpayers’ expense despite growing evidence that many have outlived their basic usefulness.
EDITORIAL: Seven Ways to Shrink Government - Start with the Townships
OVERVIEW: Time Warp: A Government Built for the 19th Century
CASH CUSHION: Money In The Bank: Piling Up A Mountain Of (Taxpayer) Moola
COSTLY ROADS: Dead End: Paying A Big Tab For A Few Highway Miles
UNNECESSARY JOBS: Redundant Services & People, Tens of Millions in Salaries
REFORMS: Top Illinois Lawmakers Step Up Streamlining Bid
DEFENDING TURF: Hyper-Local: Government Best When Close To The People
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SEPTEMBER 7, 2011: In Part Two, we continue our investigative series into the public pensions crisis by looking at the community colleges system.
CHAPTER 1: Tough Lesson Plan: Paying Big for Community College Retirees
CHAPTER 2: Without Reform, Community College Pensions Can’t Make the Grade
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JUNE 18, 2011: This seven-month investigation with the Center on Wrongful Convictions tracked exonerations in Illinois from 1989 through 2010 to determine the financial and human costs, and proposes several reforms.
OVERVIEW: A Tale of Lives Lost, Tax Dollars Wasted and Justice Denied
HUMAN COSTS: A Devastating Toll: Lost Freedom, Family and Friends
FINANCIAL COSTS: Illinois Taxpayers Forced to Pick Up Big "Injustice Tab"
REFORMS: Reform Blueprint: Changing Law Enforcement's Culture, Tactics
DATA + RESOURCES: BGA/CWC Investigation: Numbers and Sources Behind the Stories
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APRIL 28, 2011: Part One of this series explores how Illinois taxpayers are on the hook to pay millions of dollars in guaranteed pension benefits to former statewide office holders.
CHAPTER 1: Our State Pols' Platinum Pensions
CHAPTER 2: Want Reform? Get Ready to Rumble
CHAPTER 3: Explainer: What is GARS?
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