Latest News from Chicago City Wire

City Council panel tells Chicagoans: Keep talking, for now

By Caitlin Nordahl | Jun 25, 2017

Chicagoans don't have to stay relatively mum at City Council meetings -- at least not yet.

Overtaxed Illinoisans also seeing nation's smallest growth in personal income

By Caitlin Nordahl | Jun 23, 2017

Illinois’ average personal income growth since the Great Recession is tied with Nevada for the worst in the country, according to data from the Pew Charitable Trusts recently published on the Illinois Policy Institute website.

Chicago ethics board cites two more in Emanuel email controversy

By Caitlin Nordahl | Jun 23, 2017

A medical supply executive and the husband of a Chicago alderwoman have been cited by the Chicago Board of Ethics for lobbying Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel on his personal email account, according to the Better Government Association (BGA).

Chicago lab connects researchers, clinicians in unique setting

By Caitlin Nordahl | Jun 23, 2017

Scientists and doctors got started alongside one another recently in what is described as the first effort to bring the two together in a laboratory setting.

NEIU tuition costs more than double in single decade

By Caitlin Nordahl | Jun 22, 2017

Tuition at Northeastern Illinois University (NIU) more than doubled between 2006 and 2016, giving the school the dubious claim of having the fastest tuition growth rate of any Illinois public university and illustrating a dangerous cycle of higher education costs, the Illinois Policy institute says.

'Early' AFL-CIO backing of Pritzker another power play, newspaper says

By Caitlin Nordahl | Jun 22, 2017

The News-Gazette recently criticized the AFL-CIO's endorsement of Democratic gubernatorial candidate J.B. Pritzker, calling it a political power play and arguing that it has come far too early in the campaign cycle, according to an Illinois Republican Party press release.

Cook County ordinance would give residents more input, information

By Caitlin Nordahl | Jun 19, 2017

The Cook County Board of Commissioners is considering a measure to create an electronic "witness slip" system that would make the county – one of the largest in the country – a national frontrunner in public access and transparency.

Newspaper: Dems need to point finger at themselves, not Rauner

By Caitlin Nordahl | Jun 19, 2017

Democrats are "following the playbook," keeping their hold on power while ignoring the pleas of the people, a Belleville News-Democrat editorial argued recently.

Chicago State tuition hikes linked to abundance of administrators

By Caitlin Nordahl | Jun 19, 2017

Chicago State University (CSU) has the highest administrator-to-student ratio of any Illinois public university, according to the Illinois Policy Institute.

GOP offers graphic to illustrate Democratic entanglement in Cook County

By Caitlin Nordahl | Jun 19, 2017

The Illinois Republican Party has issued an infographic to illustrate the connections among House Speaker Michael Madigan (D-Chicago), Cook County Assessor Joseph Berrios and other key Illinois Democrats identified by the Chicago Tribune recently.

GOP: Pritzker says a lot by saying nothing about Berrios

By Caitlin Nordahl | Jun 18, 2017

Democratic gubernatorial candidate J.B. Pritzker needs to speak up about mounting criticism leveled against Cook County Assessor Joseph Berrios in the wake of a Chicago Tribune report, the Illinois Republican Party said in a press release recently.

UIC offers unintentional lesson in pension overspending

By Caitlin Nordahl | Jun 16, 2017

The University of Illinois-Chicago (UIC) is a prime example of the factors driving the state’s higher education crisis: high tuition, compensation and retirement costs, according to the Illinois Policy Institute.

Opponents attack CPS plan for new high school as vacant seats abound

By Caitlin Nordahl | Jun 13, 2017

Despite an abundance of empty school seats, the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) system is moving forward with a $5 to $10 million plan to convert a South Loop elementary school into a high school, according to the Chicago Tribune.

AFL-CIO's early endorsement of Pritzker draws bipartisan fire

By Caitlin Nordahl | Jun 13, 2017

Billionaire J.B. Pritzker earned the endorsement of the 900,000-member-strong AFL-CIO in early June, thus also drawing the ire of his Democratic rivals and the Republican Party, according to Illinois GOP spokesperson Steven Yaffe.

GOP faults Chicago Dems for allegedly biased property taxes

By Caitlin Nordahl | Jun 12, 2017

The Illinois Republican Party slammed Chicago Democrats after a recent series from the Chicago Tribune revealed that the Cook County Assessor’s Office has systematically provided property tax relief for the county’s wealthy residents while forcing its poorer population to pay higher taxes.