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Explainers

The Newsroom produces explanatory stories that break through political gamesmanship to address complex issues affecting citizens throughout Illinois.

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Investigation

The Costly Toll of Dead-End Drug Arrests

In Chicago, thousands of drug possession arrests are tossed out every year because of an unwritten rule in the courts, a Better Government Association/Chicago Sun-Times investigation has found. The cost to taxpayers? Millions. To those arrested? Jobs, housing, freedom.
Dec 3, 2021 5:30 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
Explainer

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

Is it a “fair tax” or a “blank check?” Those will be two of the opposing messages Illinois voters will hear between now and November over the governor’s proposal to flip the state from a flat income tax rate to a graduated one.
Updated: Mar 19, 2020 @ 11:42 AM
Explainer

Mayor Lightfoot Promised to Spend More Money on Students in Need. Will 2020 Be the Year?

Chicago schools with more students who face increased challenges need more resources, but funding has stayed the same per-pupil for years. Now the city is examining how to divvy up money differently as school enrollment declines.
Dec 11, 2019 9:30 AM
Explainer

Lightfoot’s Effort To Scale Back Aldermanic Prerogative a Work in Progress

Lori Lightfoot vowed to put an end to aldermanic prerogative on inauguration day. But the basis for the practice giving aldermen a veto over ward issues will take more than a few strokes of a pen for her to undo.
Nov 20, 2019 9:04 AM
Explainer

Latest Pension Play Is No Guaranteed Fix

If Illinois’ Constitution prevents lawmakers from curbing rising pension costs, then change the Constitution, advocates say. But experts warn a voter-approved rewrite may lead to a lengthy legal challenge and end, once again, without a permanent solution.
Jun 26, 2019 6:30 AM
Explainer

Poor Left, Rich Thrived When Illinois Hiked Flat Tax

As Illinois debates whether to raise taxes on the rich, IRS data show better off tax filers stayed put when flat tax rates jumped a few years ago despite fears so called job creators would leave the state to avoid paying the increase.
Apr 8, 2019 5:00 AM
Explainer

Millennials and Market Saturation Raise Doubts About New Casino Push

Talk of new Chicago and Downstate casinos is resurfacing among politicians as an answer to government fiscal woes. But casino revenue is off sharply from its heights, and the industry is struggling to attract younger gamblers.
Feb 6, 2019 2:00 PM
Explainer

Path Not Easy for Pritzker’s Tax-the-Rich Plan

There is often a disconnect between tax policies voters say they back and those they vote for. That’s the dilemma facing Gov.-elect J.B. Pritzker, who says he wants to amend the state constitution to allow for a graduated tax that will increase the burden on the wealthy.
Dec 13, 2018 6:00 AM

Explainers

The Costly Toll of Dead-End Drug Arrests

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

Mayor Lightfoot Promised to Spend More Money on Students in Need. Will 2020 Be the Year?

Lightfoot’s Effort To Scale Back Aldermanic Prerogative a Work in Progress

Latest Pension Play Is No Guaranteed Fix

Poor Left, Rich Thrived When Illinois Hiked Flat Tax

Millennials and Market Saturation Raise Doubts About New Casino Push

Path Not Easy for Pritzker’s Tax-the-Rich Plan