Revelations by the BGA and NBC5 that a Stroger Hospital doctor was getting paid even though he no longer worked for Cook County government prompted an inspector general investigation that found “negligence” and recommended discipline against three employees, including a supervising physician. Also, the BGA’s inquiry prompted the return of roughly $80,000 to county coffers.
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Posted inPress Release
BGA and Media Partners Recognized for Stories on Credit Card Abuses by Government Officials
The Better Government Association wins a prestigious Peter J. Lisagor award for a series of news articles and broadcasts over the past year on credit card abuses by government officials in the Chicago area.
Posted inFollow-Up, Investigation
Flurry of Questions Over Snow-Removal Contracts
Chicago firefighter’s side business has been paid hundreds of thousands of dollars in tax money to plow in special taxing districts, despite a ban on city workers securing municipal contracts.
Posted inFollow-Up, Investigation, Newsroom
Tragedy Tests Hospital Cops, Results Aren’t Great
The police force assigned to patrol Cook County’s hospital system doesn’t have the best reputation in town.
Posted inAnalysis, Policy
State Senate Passes Bill To End Legislative Scholarships
State Senate Passes Bill To End Legislative Scholarships
Posted inAnalysis, Policy
State Senate Passes Bill To End Legislative Scholarships
A bill to eliminate the controversial legislative scholarship program passed the Illinois Senate and is very close to becoming law.
Posted inFollow-Up, Legal, Results & Reforms
LEGISLATIVE SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM KILLED
After the BGA, the Chicago Sun-Times and others exposed repeated abuses in how Illinois legislators award college tuition waivers — and following an aggressive lobbying campaign by the BGA policy team — the General Assembly votes to end the decades-old program, which had been costing taxpayers more than $13 million a year. Gov. Pat Quinn is expected to soon sign the bill into
Posted inFollow-Up, Investigation
Cop Assigned to Private Building in Loop
There aren’t enough officers in high-crime neighborhoods, but the Chicago Police Department has a full-time cop at the Merchandise Mart, a low-crime office building long run by the Kennedy family. How busy is the officer? In three years, he’s made no arrests.
Posted inPress Release
Cullerton Support Signals End of Legislative Scholarships
A bill to eliminate the controversial legislative scholarship program is advancing in the Illinois Senate. A measure to end the program is now supported by a key General Assembly leader–Senate President John Cullerton–who changed his position from supporting reforms aimed at policing the program to advocating its elimination.
Posted inFollow-Up, Legal, Results & Reforms
PUBLIC HOUSING OFFICIAL STEPS DOWN
Following inquiries from the BGA about his private companies doing business with the government agency that he was leading, Cook County Housing Authority board Chairman Elzie Higginbottom resigns and, to avoid a possible conflict of interest, the agency changes the way Section 8 vouchers are handled for buildings run by his firms.