State legislator tries to resurrect controversial General Assembly scholarship program, which was abolished in 2012 amid concerns that politics and connections dictated which students got tuition waivers.
Investigation
Posted inFollow-Up, Investigation, Newsroom
Staff Overtime Soars At Illinois Prisons
The state Department of Corrections racked up a whopping $320 million in overtime and additional compensation pay over five years, a BGA Rescuing Illinois report reveals.
Posted inFollow-Up, Investigation, Newsroom
Pols And Police Access In Chicago
Saying a federal appeals court mistakenly created a “watershed moment” that could cost taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars, Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul sides with insurance titans that administer healthcare reimbursements
Posted inFollow-Up, Investigation
Local Businesses Donate Big, Bail Out Harvey Mayor
Recent campaign disclosures shed light on Mayor Eric Kellogg’s political saviors.
Posted inFollow-Up, Investigation
Pensions Make Golden Years Lucrative For Illinois Pols In Congress, White House
Many current and former federal officials from Illinois are reaping generous pensions, or stand to. Some are double dipping – drawing federal and state benefits, with taxpayers picking up the tab either way.
Posted inFollow-Up, Investigation
It’s All Relative In Chicago’s Suburbs
Family members of municipal officials in Chicago-area communities – such as Glendale Heights, Summit and Calumet City – end up on public payrolls. Are connections or qualifications in play?
Posted inFollow-Up, Investigation, Newsroom
Political Jockeying Over Rauner Appointment
The news this week that Gov. Bruce Rauner named former Arlington Heights Mayor Arlene Mulder to the Illinois Racing Board got us wondering: How does an appointment like this originate?
Posted inFollow-Up, Investigation
Suburban Taxpayers Subsidize Mayor’s Luxury Auto
Melrose Park mayor gets new Jaguar, and starts taking $500 monthly stipend from the municipal government to help cover vehicle expenses. Village officials say arrangement actually represents a savings for local taxpayers.
Posted inFollow-Up, Investigation
Harvey Mayor Settles Up
Mayor of troubled south suburb pays elections board $72,750 for alleged campaign-finance violations – meaning he’ll now be able to appear on the ballot this spring. But where’d that money come from?
Posted inFollow-Up, Investigation
Lynwood Fires Cop Who Threw Punch
South suburban police department knew for months about incident in which cop roughed up suspect, but disciplinary proceedings weren’t initiated until after repeated inquiries from BGA/CBS2.