Chicago’s Public Schools received nearly $5,200 per student in 2015 from State of Illinois taxpayers-- more than than 260 of the 290 school districts in the Chicagoland area, according to an analysis of Illinois State Board of Education financial reports by Chicago City Wire.
Only 22 percent of students who attended City Colleges of Chicago (CCC) schools are repaying their student loans, compared to 66 percent of student loan recipients at other Illinois public universities.
The city council recently gave the official go-ahead for the development of a $42.5 million commercial project in the West Side’s North Lawndale area, nearby the Loop, UI and other major local points of interest.
With the number of local governments and major cities in the throes of insolvency now sharply on the rise, a growing number of economic experts are calling for creative measures to give hard-hit municipalities their best chance of survival.
Lampooning Mike Madigan as a fake rap artist in a short animation-style spot, the Illinois Republican Party recently released a parody of the speaker via its website as it launched its 'Drop the Mike' campaign.
In a public statement, state Rep. LaShawn Ford (D-Chicago) recently said term limits would be one way to help bridge the gap with GOP Gov. Bruce Rauner on his calls for reform and possibly help end the budget impasse -- a rare departure from the usual Democratic Party protocols in the General Assembly.
The Chicago-based Better Government Association (BGA) watchdog group recently shared its viewpoint via an online article that Illinois government leaders practice a strong avoidance of organizations — such as itself — that are equipped to expose accountability.