Investigation Parents, Advocates Want Special Education Classroom Assistants in Required Meetings Sep 20, 2022 6:00 AM Parents have complained about the school system’s lack of inclusion of the classroom assistants — who best know their children and their needs — in the decision-making process.
Investigation Out-of-State Abortions in Illinois Already Breaking Records Surrounded by states enacting bans or severe restrictions, Illinois is poised to become a place where out-of-state patients and practitioners seek refuge. Politicians and advocates are seeking ways to welcome what they say could be a record-setting demand for the controversial procedure. Sep 13, 2022 6:00 AM
Investigation Pritzker’s Personal Fortune Intersects With State Contracts The governor’s promises to divest his vast portfolio of state contractors have not extended to his so-called blind trust, which has the governor’s money in at least a dozen companies with billions in state business Aug 30, 2022 6:00 AM
Investigation City Agencies Fail To Intervene Before Three Older Women Die in Uncooled Apartment Building Tenants of the Rogers Park complex see the limitations of the city’s 311 complaint hotline as City Council adopts new rules requiring air conditioning units in senior buildings. Jun 30, 2022 6:00 AM
PolitiFact Texas Gov. Greg Abbott Claims Chicago’s ’Tougher’ Gun Laws Fail To Prevent Gun Violence Chicago is frequently targeted as a city with ineffective, strict gun laws. While the city has a history of implementing tougher laws in comparison to other cities, a Supreme Court decision drastically loosened some restrictions. Jun 3, 2022 6:00 AM
PolitiFact Orland Park Mayor Says Crime at Lowest in Nearly Three Decades In his bid for Congress, Mayor Keith Pekau is touting the downward turn in reported crimes during his tenure. While the reported statistics bear him out, there was a spike in violent crime his first year in office. May 1, 2022 12:00 PM
Database Illinois Public Salaries Database Review, explore and compare compensation for public employees throughout Illinois. Updated: Nov 18, 2021 @ 8:30 AM
Database Illinois Public Pensions Database Follow the money paid to retired public-sector employees throughout Illinois. Updated: May 4, 2022 @ 12:00 PM
The Circuit: Over 18 years, 61% of all criminal charges were filed against Black people, even though only about 23% of the county’s population is Black. In our latest update to our collaborative investigation, the BGA, Injustice Watch and DataMade break down more than 3 million criminal charges by race, ethnicity and gender. Aug 13, 2021 10:05 AM
Follow-Up State Filing on Medicaid Delays Asks Court to Reconsider Saying a federal appeals court mistakenly created a “watershed moment” that could cost taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars, Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul sides with insurance titans that administer healthcare reimbursements Aug 10, 2022 4:00 PM
Follow-Up Appeals Court Reinstates Lawsuit Against State Medicaid Administrators Citing the BGA investigation ‘Milking Medicaid,’ a three-judge panel said Saint Anthony Hospital has a ‘viable’ case against a state that has refused to enforce its contracts with private insurers who manage the program. Jul 7, 2022 6:00 AM
Follow-Up Complaints Mount on Park District Cameras A Better Government Association investigation into the unfair placement of Park District security cameras has sparked renewed criticism from park neighborhoods and city council members about the quality and ineffectiveness of the expensive program Jun 21, 2022 6:00 AM
Explainer COVID-19 Again Hits Illinois Prisons, Exacerbating Long-Standing Failures in Medical and Mental Health Care Despite dramatically reduced prison populations, officials continue to face problems containing the virus because of lagging vaccine rates of prison staff. Jan 27, 2022 5:45 AM
Explainer Fewer People in Cook County Are Being Charged With Crimes. Why Are Black People Making Up a Larger Share of Defendants? An Injustice Watch/BGA investigation broke down the data on specific charges and asked experts to explain why racial disparities are increasing in Cook County criminal court. Dec 1, 2021 11:02 AM
Explainer Biden’s Infrastructure Push Challenges Illinois’ Car-Centric Approach The president’s plan to cut pollution, promote public transit and address racial inequities would mark a sharp change for a transportation system built for the Eisenhower Era. Updated: Jun 24, 2021 @ 3:23 PM
Policy BGA Policy Statement: City Council’s Leadership Should be Chosen by City Council September 23, 2022
Analysis Budget Analysis: Chicago’s Office of Public Safety Administration Cost City More Than It Saved August 23, 2022
Press Release Initial $10 Million in Grants to New Investigative and Solutions Journalism Initiative Nov 22, 2021 12:00 AM
From Our President Greising: TIF district for the Bears? Resist any urge, Arlington Heights. September 19, 2022
From Our President Greising: BGA Report on Pritzker Shows Illinois Needs a Law Governing Blind Trusts. September 1, 2022
What the Gov Pattern of Late-Night Finishes for the Illinois General Assembly Raises Transparency Concerns April 27, 2022
What the Gov Community Ask: I have severe glaucoma. I had Illinois Medicaid and recently qualified for Medicare, as well. Why was it so difficult to find treatment from an ophthalmologist? March 29, 2022
What the Gov Community Ask: How much does Illinois earn in lottery tickets per year, and where do those proceeds go? March 10, 2022
Press Release National Association of Black Journalists Awards BGA/Sun-Times for Best News Series August 11, 2022
