Video segment, text intro includes “Thanks to a little-known pension perk, some former Illinois lawmakers are earning more in retirement than they did while in office. … ‘I do not, unfortunately, even though I live in Illinois, have hope for Illinois,’ Weinberg says.”
By Greg Bishop, includes “… ‘The debts that we racked up during the COVID year of 2020, we had to do some federal borrowing in order to cover our bills,’ Pritzker said. ‘We also racked up a bunch of bills, a bill backlog, that needs to be paid back. ”
Includes “Investors seeking higher returns and lower taxes are scooping up debt sold by state and local governments, pushing borrowing costs to record lows and boosting funding from California to Connecticut. “
Includes “Public schools in Illinois can expect another 350-million-dollars next year. Governor JB Pritzker last week said the state’s financial picture is better than expected, so he is including a 350-million increase for evidence-based school funding. Lawmakers were pressing for the money.”
By Sebastian Pellejero, includes “Investors in search of higher returns and lower taxes are scooping up debt sold by state and local governments, pushing borrowing costs to near-record lows and boosting coffers from California to Connecticut.”
By Jason Meisner and Ray Long, includes “Michael Madigan was the elephant in the courtroom Wednesday as lawyers for four people charged with conspiring to bribe the former speaker on behalf of utility giant Commonwealth Edison said they expect more charges are coming soon in the bombshell case.”
By Truth in Accounting, includes “Timely information is crucial during government decision processes like budgeting. However, most states issue their Comprehensive Annual Financial Reports (CAFR) long after their fiscal year's end. Several states have still not issued their 2020 annual financial reports even though their fiscal years ended more than 300 days ago.”
Editorial, includes “State Comptroller Susana Mendoza took a victory lap last week after announcing that Illinois’ huge stack of unpaid bills —$16.7 billion in 2017 — has been reduced to $3.5 billion, a sum that means ‘vendors and providers of good and services are getting paid without delay.”
By Benjamin Fearnow, includes “… The government finance watchdog group Truth in Accounting gave the city of Chicago's government an ‘F’ for its financial health rating in a February report card.”
By Greg Bishop, includes “State Rep. Brad Halbrook, R-Shelbyville, has for years filed resolutions at the statehouse to create a new state out of all the counties with the exception of Cook County.”
By Dan Petrella and Jenny Whidden, includes “… While some lawmakers have noted that the onetime colleagues who’ve been ensnared in the federal probe have been charged with breaking laws that are already on the books, the wide-ranging investigation has brought attention to a number of issues that make Illinois rife for potential corruption.”
By Ted Dabrowski and John Klingner, includes “… While the population loss was far lower than the Census Bureau’s previous estimates of about 250,000, the overall situation of this state remains unchanged. Illinois continues to be an extreme outlier nationally when it comes to population losses.”
Editorial, includes “… And families, especially now that more parents are working from home, can do the math on what they pay in taxes, on what might be required of them if the state’s pension funds officially dry up or if all the governments charging them in taxes keep up their clip of spending. They want out. Who could blame them?”
By Rick Pearson, includes “For the first time since Illinois joined the union in 1818, federal census figures showed the state’s population declined over the previous decade, reducing its representation in the U.S. House from 18 members to 17 and diminishing its clout in Washington.”
Video, text intro includes “On the same day that U.S. Census officials announced that Illinois would lose a seat in Congress because of population decline, Gov. J.B. Pritzker answers a question about why people are leaving the state.”
Op-ed by Abraham Scarr, includes “Last July, northern Illinois’ electric utility, ComEd, admitted to actions prosecutors described as a bribery scheme … ComEd’s punishment — a $200 million fine — is a slap on the wrist compared with the billions in additional profits the bribery scheme raked in. "
By Dave McKinney and Tony Arnold, includes radio segment and story, including “… Illinois lawmakers have yet to put up new ethical guardrails in response to the historic Commonwealth Edison bribery scandal that toppled ex-House Speaker Michael Madigan and led to a series of federal indictments.”
By Ted Dabrowski, includes “… First, borrowing more money does nothing to solve the city’s actual problems. Sure the pension funds get a $56 million boost to their assets – and that makes the pension funds healthier immediately – but Wheaton taxpayers are now on the hook for the $56 million POB. … Two, if the gamble loses money, taxpayers are on the hook for those losses, too.”
By Dan Petrella and Stacy St. Clair, includes “Long known for flooding Springfield with campaign cash and well-connected lobbyists, ComEd is now politically toxic at the Capitol."
By Adam Andrzejewski, includes “Illinois public employees and retirees with $100,000+ paychecks grew from 109,881 (2019) to an all-time high of 122,258 in 2020 – costing taxpayers $15.8 billion. Congressional ‘bailouts’ made it possible. …”