Press Release

Chicago Public Schools blows off five more records requests from Better Government Association, in violation of state law, so BGA returns to court with new filing.

The Costly Toll of Dead-end Drug Arrests, published in December, examined how thousands of Chicagoans — mostly Black men — are arrested on drug possession charges judges, police and prosecutors all know will never stick.

Every once in a while we like to highlight how the BGA’s watchdog work is making a difference.

Nearly all current and former government workers who are drawing a public-sector pension or may be eligible for one some day are now included on new and existing Better Government Association databases.

(We hear the Lincoln Park native and Emmy Award-winning comedian is pretty funny too.) 

School’s out for summer, so we’re looking back on the big stories we found in Chicago and suburban school districts during the 2014/2015 year.

At the BGA, we pride ourselves on being a full-service watchdog organization. This means we don’t just investigate wrongdoing, waste and fraud. We also promote reforms.

The Better Government Association and the Chicago Sun-Times won an Associated Press award for enterprise reporting for an investigative story on a clout-heavy group of landlords making big money building and leasing the FBI’s new Chicago offices.

Better Government Association Recognized For Outstanding Local Journalism

Two additional contests recognize Better Government Association’s news stories and online presence in 2014.