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Civic Engagement

COVID-19 Again Hits Illinois Prisons, Exacerbating Long-Standing Failures in Medical and Mental Health Care

Jan 27, 2022 5:45 AM

Despite dramatically reduced prison populations, officials continue to face problems containing the virus because of lagging vaccine rates of prison staff.

Investigations

Investigation

Projects With Madigan Ties Went to the Front of the Line in State’s Massive Rebuild Illinois List

The $45 billion statewide capital plan includes $4 billion in pet projects added by a handful of the state’s most powerful politicians, including the former speaker.
Jan 21, 2022 5:30 AM
Investigation

Cabrini-Green: A History of Broken Promises

Transforming Chicago’s most famous public housing complex will cost taxpayers $2 billion. It also came with often-unkept promises of jobs, city contracts and homes for those forced from the neighborhood.
Dec 15, 2021 6:00 AM
Investigation

Cabrini-Green Residents Were Promised 2,500 Construction Jobs. They Got 40

To quell a rising controversy 25 years ago that threatened to derail his grand plan to raze the public housing complex, Mayor Richard M. Daley made promises to the residents he was kicking out — including jobs.
Dec 15, 2021 6:00 AM

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 ups

Explainers

Featured

Navigating the Story of Cabrini-Green

Revisit one of the biggest land grabs in Chicago history and how Black residents were forced out of their homes and jobs amid unkept promises in a live conversation with the BGA on Saturday, Jan. 29 at 1:30 p.m.

Better Government Association and McCormick Foundation Form the Illinois Solutions Partnership

Press Release

Initial $10 Million in Grants to New Investigative and Solutions Journalism Initiative

Nov 22, 2021 12:00 AM

The Madigan Rule

“The Madigan Rule” is a BGA podcast that takes listeners inside the story of how Speaker Mike Madigan ran Illinois--for good and for ill.

Hosted by Justin Kaufmann, a veteran radio host deeply steeped in state government, Kaufmann talks with people who witnessed Madigan’s exercise of power: governors, lawmakers, journalists and politicos. They feared him and revered him and had no choice but to reckon with his rules.

It’s the Madigan Rule: a podcast about Illinois’ most powerful politician, featuring those who knew him well.

Episode 5 available now.

All episodes streaming now.

Watch the trailer here.

From our president

Civic engagement

Policy

After New York City, Is Ranked-Choice Voting Still The Future of Voting?

Featured Analysis

Ranked-Choice Voting faced one of its biggest tests yet. Did it live up to expectations? Is it the future? BGA takes a deep dive.

Aug 10, 2021 3:20 PM

Policy

Redistricting Controversies
November 19, 2021

Analysis

How's Mayor Lori Lightfoot Doing? We're Keeping Track.

Updated: August 3, 2021

Our organization

COVID-19 Again Hits Illinois Prisons, Exacerbating Long-Standing Failures in Medical and Mental Health Care

Investigations

Projects With Madigan Ties Went to the Front of the Line in State’s Massive Rebuild Illinois List

Cabrini-Green: A History of Broken Promises

Cabrini-Green Residents Were Promised 2,500 Construction Jobs. They Got 40

Fact checks with

PolitiFact's 2021 Lie of the Year

Fact-Check: No, Migrant ‘Caravan’ From Tapachula, Mexico Is Not the Population of Minneapolis

Databases

Illinois Public Salaries Database

Illinois Public Pensions Database

Examine the Racial and Ethnic Breakdowns of Every Criminal Charge in Cook County Over Nearly Two Decades

Follow ups

FBI Investigating Vaccinations At Loretto Hospital CEO’s Suburban Church

Joliet Residents Protest Plan To Hike Water Rates

FBI Investigating Loretto Hospital’s Vaccination Program

Explainers

Fewer People in Cook County Are Being Charged With Crimes. Why Are Black People Making Up a Larger Share of Defendants?

Biden’s Infrastructure Push Challenges Illinois’ Car-Centric Approach

Get Ready, Illinois: Pritzker’s Tax Plan Looks to Become the Biggest Ballot Measure in State History

Navigating the Story of Cabrini-Green

Better Government Association and McCormick Foundation Form the Illinois Solutions Partnership

The Madigan Rule

Greising: What’s Awry With Lightfoot and Evans’ Fight Over Electronic Monitoring? Use of Distorted Data.

Fighting Crime? Maybe Our Crime-Fighters Should Stop Fighting First.

What Are Your Stories About the Cabrini-Green Community?

"The Madigan Rule" Podcast

"The Madigan Rule" Podcast Episode 4

After New York City, Is Ranked-Choice Voting Still The Future of Voting?

Redistricting Controversies

How's Mayor Lori Lightfoot Doing? We're Keeping Track.

BGA, Partners Net Six Sarah Brown Boyden Awards Including ‘Best of the Best’

Better Government Association and McCormick Foundation Form the Illinois Solutions Partnership

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