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The governor’s office won’t release details about how state agencies plan to cut spending and reserve funds weeks after their plans for doing so were due to be submitted. See this early warning explaining why Pritzker's announcement could not be trusted from the start.
"As Chicago’s 2026 budget process moves forward, new independent analysis indicates that city leaders are debating spending priorities and long-term commitments without a complete and fully transparent understanding of the government’s true financial position."

More Highlighted Illinois Stories

The Illinois Gaming Board has reported a 15% drop in September sports betting, after the state imposed a new tax on wagers.
A new report finds Illinois lacks protection from federal overreach, with few safeguards to limit funding and mandates.
"What I am so upset about is that Donald Trump was fine with people not being able to travel, people not being able to get their food. He was fine, he is fine with taking away health care from people," Pritzker said. "You can't be so obstinate about every little element of whatever your program is, and refuse to have the government work unless you get your way, when you're in the minority, too," said Richard Porter, a former Republican national committeeman from Illinois.
"Trump is a liar," Pritzker said. "He cannot steal credit from our violence prevention and law enforcement efforts that have reduced crime for four years straight — long before his masked agents showed up."
State Senator Dave Koehler: "We have to add more supply and battery storage adds supply," he said. "We know that we have to put more energy onto the grid if we’re going to bring prices down. It’s a simple fact of supply and demand, and we know that demand is high in the summertime."
"I think that is the crudest form of political weapon that I can imagine — and that’s why I came to the conclusion that we had tried to find a bipartisan agreement, and we reached it," Durbin said.
"We’re one of very few states that doesn’t have any limits on what an insurance company can charge," Pritzker said. "What we want is for the insurance companies simply to show us why it’s appropriate for them to raise rates by 27 percent. They didn’t do that. They haven’t done that. All they did was say, ‘Well, we had losses.’ ... We don’t know if homeowners are being gouged, and that’s what it feels like."
"Good and decent men like Ald. Lopez think of compromise. But shameless weasels like Pritzker and his violent radical left wing unions ruin the idea of common ground, they take over the streets, ramming I.C.E. vehicles and shooting at law enforcement isn’t about seeking common ground. It is about violent demands, like the old Confederate slave owners at Ft. Sumpter firing on union troops to protect their slave trade."
[画像:Construction crews move a boring device into place to install new water pipe and replace old lead-based pipe in the Oakland neighborhood on Nov. 30.]Chicago has more than 412,000 lead service lines, the most of any city in the country. So far, the city has replaced roughly 14,000 lead pipes, which has cost more than 400ドル million over the last five years.
The legislation, also known as the Northern Illinois Transit Authority Act, also authorizes biennial increases of up to 4 percent starting in 2029.
"Gov. Pritzker could have used his Office of Management and Budget to identify areas where spending could be reined in, such as pay raises for legislators, partisan pork projects and billions on illegal aliens, but instead, the governor has chosen to blame his mismanagement on anyone but himself," Illinois House Assistant Minority Leader Amy Elik said.
ICE Acting Director Todd Lyons, in a letter sent to Duckworth’s office on Wednesday, claimed that Duckworth aide Edward York misrepresented himself as an attorney to get access to Ismael Ayuzo Sandoval, 41, and falsified a federal document.
The goal of getting 1 million electric vehicles on the road by 2030 is etched into Illinois’ Climate and Equitable Jobs Act, the ambitious climate legislation Gov. JB Pritzker signed in 2021 that also phases out fossil fuels over the next two decades. But even with the recent uptick in EV purchases, Illinois is not on track to hit that goal.
[画像:A CTA Blue Line train heads west as the sun rises behind the city skyline, July 7, 2024, in Chicago. ]"If the new system works, it could prove to be a model — albeit an expensive one — for other transit systems looking for a way forward after the pandemic caused deep ridership losses and resulting financial chaos."
"The Schumer Shutdown was costly, reckless, and completely avoidable. I was proud to join my @HouseGOP colleagues in voting to avoid a shutdown in September, and I was proud to join them again tonight to put an end to it.," Rep. Darin LaHood said in a social media post.
Mayor Lawrence Jackson, 49, of Riverdale allegedly falsely testified during a deposition for a civil lawsuit filed in 2018 by a waste management company against Jackson and the city of Riverdale, the indictment stated.
Pritzker, widely seen as among the top potential Democratic presidential contenders in 2028, also directed some of his sharpest criticism at members of his own party. He said the decision by seven Democratic senators and one independent to side with Republicans in a Senate vote to end the government shutdown was an "enormous mistake" that played right into Trump’s hands.
Tracy: "My extremist Democrat opponents, Lt. Governor Juliana Stratton, Reps. Raja Krishnamoorthi and Robin Kelly, have condemned Senator Durbin for putting country over party. Their reaction speaks volumes about their true priorities."
[画像:Split image of Rep. Marie Glusenkamp Perez and Jesus "Chuy" Garcia]Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez unexpectedly rose during House votes Wednesday night to demand a vote on condemning Rep. Jesús "Chuy" García for unexpectedly dropping his re-election bid, enabling his chief of staff to run in his place. She read, "García's actions are beneath the dignity of his office and incompatible with the spirit of the Constitution."
U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth’s Constituent Outreach Coordinator Edward York "is facing very serious potential charges if these allegations are true," said Jonathan Turley, a law professor and veteran legal analyst. "We need more details, which have not been forthcoming from the Duckworth office on whether this staffer is an attorney as allegedly claimed."
"The reason we're here is because a shell company wants to build a transmission overpass to Indiana with no service to Illinois customers," said Illinois Farm Bureau Attorney Chuck Davis. "This case is about a quest for power—not electrical power, but governmental power." Landowners are worried about damage to property throughout Christian, Shelby, Clark and Cumberland counties.

Top Chicago Stories

[画像:Mayor Johnson orders citywide action to combat food insecurity amid SNAP changes]Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson signed an executive order Saturday to direct additional city resources to local organizations working to address the ongoing food insecurity caused by the government shutdown, the pause in SNAP benefits, as well as upcoming SNAP requirement changes.
[画像:image]Chicago politics these days is a contest between dumb and dumber, and the latter distinction this week goes to Chicago Treasurer Melissa Conyears-Ervin. She says she wants the Windy City to boycott U.S. Treasury debt to protest President Trump’s immigration crackdown.
Garry McCarthy, a former Chicago police superintendent, says he isn’t opposed to the Border Patrol’s mission but is "not a fan of their methods," including car chases. McCarthy says Border Patrol agents have acted more recklessly than their counterpart agency, Immigration and Customs Enforcement. "They’re out of control," he says of the Border Patrol agents.

More Highlighted Chicago Area Stories

The city argues funds have been mismanaged under the current park district board and director. Markham's city administrator, Derrick Champion, said the park district has failed to provide audits and financial reports for years.
The challenges embody the fight within the Democratic Party between centrists and progressives, said Melissa Mouritsen, a political science professor at the College of DuPage. "Until one side wins, multitudes of candidates are likely to seek office," Mouritsen said.
"It’s clear here. We’re either going to cut services and lay people off and raise property taxes, or we’re going to make sure that those with means who can actually afford it put more skin in the game. That’s the choice that the people of Chicago have right now," Johnson said.
These bills have become the proverbial coal in our stocking when they should be coming when it’s still warm and sunny.
[画像:Police officers arrest a protester during an anti-ICE demonstration in Chicago.]Chaos erupted outside an immigration processing center in Chicago on Thursday when anti-ICE agitators clashed with law enforcement. The incident led to multiple arrests after demonstrators blocked traffic and refused orders to disperse.
An ISIS plot to attack the Chicago Pride Parade with a backpack bomb in 2024 was discussed on a terrorist website but never carried out, according to FBI records obtained by the NBC Chicago investigative team.
Ald. Andre Vasquez, co-chair of a 19-member Progressive Caucus that Johnson is counting on to help deliver his budget, said it might be a better idea to restore the automatic escalator locking in annual property tax increases at the rate of inflation, and perhaps doubling a 9ドル.50-a-month garbage collection fee that has been frozen since its 2015 inception.
According to the Hyde Park Herald, the union representatives gave the school a list of demands that included barring ICE agents from entering buildings without a judicial warrant, notifying the school community about ICE activity in the area, posting signs barring ICE agents from entering buildings and publicly affirming students' right to learn without federal interference.
Student privacy advocates say the provider’s parent consent form raises concerns about the possible use of student data to develop its product in violation of the state’s online student privacy law. CPS said it could not provide up-to-date data on the number of students served and sessions completed, but data as of September obtained by advocates through a public records request showed that at that point, about 250 students had completed roughly 920 sessions.
Alderman Raymond Lopez suggested that, if the corporate head tax fails, the mayor could push a property tax increase. Lopez noted that Chicago Budget Director Annette Guzman sent a letter to City Clerk Anna Valencia suggesting the need for an estimated property tax increase of 1ドル.8 billion.
"I laugh out loud when I read some stuff on social media about Chicago. It’s funny if it wasn’t so pitiful and sad."
In all, taxpayers have spent a total of more than 172ドル million to settle, review and defend claims of misconduct in murder cases investigated by Reynaldo Guevara, according to a review of public records. That includes payments to outside law firms, in addition to the 27ドル.2 million that Cook County has paid in settlements. In those cases, county prosecutors, as well as Guevara were accused of misconduct.
The Chicago Teachers Union urged teachers to leave their classrooms and go to Springfield to lobby state lawmakers for more funding, which forced taxpayers to spend between 12,500ドル and 19,300ドル on substitute teachers. Besides the cost, CTU’s move also hurt learning for Chicago’s struggling students.
"It is the ultimate virtue signaling at the cost of others. She is given a fiduciary duty to properly maintain and protect the investments of the city, which is currently facing a rising debt crisis.... Let’s recap. Mayor Johnson wants to float massive bonds to avoid cutting the budget while taxing large businesses for every new person that they employ. At the same time, the city will not invest in bonds that guarantee the most secure investment of money currently in city coffers."
"We will invest in the value of the residents of Chicago, and Chicagoans do not want us to bankroll the regime, the authoritarian regime of Donald Trump, where he has waged a war on our city."
The mayor’s team this week has begun asking some members of the City Council if they would support the 21ドル-per-employee-per-month tax if it applied only to the larger companies, according to three sources familiar with budget discussions. Johnson wants the enact the head tax on the smaller companies as well, but he is struggling to convince 26 out of 50 aldermen to vote for that.
It made for an unusual scene in a town where the whiff of a federal indictment has long been damaging to local politicians. Congressional candidate and social media influencer Kat Abughazaleh, Cook County Board candidate Cat Sharp and Oak Park village trustee Brian Straw now seem to be embracing the charges from President Donald Trump’s Justice Department.
The City of Saint Paul also joined the federal lawsuit, which was filed Wednesday in the Northern District of Illinois. It "seeks to prevent DOJ from imposing new grant conditions that require cities to certify that they do not operate diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs that DOJ deems unlawful and do not restrict assistance with federal civil immigration enforcement."
Ald. Ray Lopez said his letter has drawn a lot of interest because it is so pragmatic. "Especially when it is offered from a Democrat to a Republican as a way to find a middle ground," Lopez suggested.
The recently released Illinois Report Card shows large proficiency gaps between Chicago’s low-income students and the statewide average for all students in math and reading. Black and Hispanic Chicago students also saw gaps in proficiency rates compared to the state average.
Many of the changes that would have the biggest impact on the city’s bottom line would require changes to Chicago’s agreements with the labor organizations that represent 90 percent of the city’s more than 32,400 employers, Budget Director Annette Guzman said.
More than 2-in-5 Chicago Public Schools teachers missed 10 or more school days in the 2024-2025 school year; This marks the lowest teacher attendance rate recorded in CPS in nearly a decade. Similarly, just 2-in-5 Chicago students were proficient in reading that same school year, and even fewer were proficient in math.

Wirepoints Research and Commentary

[画像:Chicago's Morning Answer | AM 560 The ANSWER - Chicago, IL]"It’s an appalling way to conduct political discourse — and in front of teachers, no less," Glennon said, adding that Pritzker’s justification that "all limits are off" with Trump is emblematic of a broader disregard for honesty and accountability in Illinois politics. The energy bill, he noted, will primarily benefit politically connected companies like Gotion, the Chinese-owned firm building a heavily subsidized battery plant in Illinois. Glennon warned that the legislation effectively guarantees further taxpayer exposure with "no caps" on
Who better to figure out how put itself at the center of central planning subsidies than the Chinese Communist Party?
Get ready for a new line item on electricity bills across Illinois totaling at least 7ドル billion as the absurdity of Illinois green energy policy continues. And that's just the start of a monstrous new law.

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Mark joined Shaun to explain how Illinois lowered its pension debt by increasing its bond debt and other fiscal follies. Click here to listen .
An under-reported part of the State of Illinois’ most recent bond is noteworthy. State pensions will get 186ドル million of the borrowed money. That’s important because the state’s unfunded pension liability will drop, thanks to the new money, but the state’s bonded debt will increase by the same principal amount.
Changes to be made here as Wirepoints President Ted Dabrowski will soon be officially announcing his run for governor of Illinois.
The disappearance is in the state's newly released financial report. Any questions? Never mind, because you won’t find explanations there, here or anywhere else, but read on.
Mark and Dan discussed the policy direction of the state and the political consequences, with Mark pointing out Pritzker’s administration has prioritized messaging over results, such as expanding access to financial aid for undocumented students and new requirements for mandatory mental health screenings in schools. Mark also criticized the lowering of statewide academic standards and ongoing financial mismanagement at Chicago schools.
Weekly crime statistics from the Chicago Police Department: Report through 8/10/25

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