Explainer Illinois Is Poised To Dangle Business Incentives To Big Companies — But Is It Worth It? Despite ever more tenuous state finances, Gov. Bruce Rauner and many lawmakers appear poised to embrace expensive incentive packages once unanimously derided by Springfield. Oct 6, 2017 6:00 AM
Explainer Gerrymandering In Illinois: New Numbers Challenge Conventional Wisdom Reformers hope a pending U.S. Supreme Court case reins in the widespread manipulation of election districts by powerbrokers, but data in the case suggest such gerrymandering in Illinois is less severe than in many states. Aug 30, 2017 5:30 AM
Explainer As The Nation’s Rail Hub, Chicago Is An Expensive And Dangerous Bottleneck Nearly $1 trillion in goods chug annually through the city on a severely tangled network of rails, prompting some industry leaders to weigh ways to bypass Chicago entirely. Aug 23, 2017 3:00 PM
Explainer Breaking Down Gov. Rauner's Dispute With Illinois' Largest Public Labor Union Illinois has continued to grapple over the costs of pay and benefits for members of the state’s largest public employee union. Gov. Bruce Rauner is trying to squeeze major contract concessions from AFSCME, while both sides accuse the other of bargaining in bad faith. Jun 29, 2017 6:00 AM
Explainer Illinois Governor's Race On Pace To Be Most Expensive in U.S. History In what may seem a paradox, the worse off Illinois government gets the more the wealthy are willing to spend to gain control. It is part of a national trend that has seen ever escalating spending battles for even down the ballot offices. Jun 6, 2017 6:00 AM
Explainer Rauner Gropes For Silver Lining As State Flounders Amid Gridlock “How’s that working out for you?” Rauner the 2014 Republican candidate often asked in questioning why voters kept returning Democrats to run Springfield. Now he’s governor of a very troubled state and the same question may loom large over his reelection bid next year. May 30, 2017 6:00 AM
Explainer Lots Of People Think They Can Solve Illinois' Budget Mess—But It's Not That Easy Compared to other states, Illinois has fewer state workers, spends less on Medicaid per patient and owns a worst in the nation record for supporting local schools. So budget-balancing without tax hikes will mean cutting into muscle. May 18, 2017 6:00 AM
Explainer Why The Online Threat To Big Retail Means Bigger Holes In Illinois Budgets The take from sales and property taxes, key revenue sources for local governments, often takes a hit as brick and mortar stores reel under Internet competition. That puts a strain on paying for municipal services. May 10, 2017 5:00 AM
Explainer Why The Chicago Area's Powerhouse Economy Can't Jumpstart Stalled Illinois With the Chicago region robust and Downstate in a prolonged economic funk, fixing Illinois may be harder than the political talking points suggest. Apr 25, 2017 5:00 AM
Explainer Rauner Tax Freeze: Balm Or Timebomb For Local Taxpayers? The governor seeks a permanent property tax freeze as a price for a budget deal, but experts say such a plan goes beyond anti-tax moves in other states and could handcuff operations of schools and local governments. Apr 5, 2017 6:00 AM
