A problem that’s as politically hard to solve as it is huge. There are actually 8,459 units of government in Illinois, not the commonly reported 6,968. By any measure, far higher than other states per capita.

Rauner campaign cherry-picks job statistics from a five-month period to claim “job losses.” It would be fair for the Rauner campaign to say that current job growth is well below what Quinn promised and that Illinois has the lowest job growth in the 12-state Midwest region. The campaign — and voters — would be better served if it just stuck to the facts.   Cherry-Picking Season in Illinois

By: Mark Glennon*   A recent Sun-Times article quoted the standing instruction a former editor had for his reporters: “Don’t (bleep) with the news.” (I’m taking the liberty of interpreting that bleep into what I presume, to his credit, he really said.)   What a terrific rule for reporters to follow, the point being not to trivialize or distort news. So elegantly simple.   Too bad so many reporters don’t obey it, including some at the Sun-Times.   This week  the Sun-Times had a story, Five Things to know About the Neighborhood Recovery Program (Governor Quinn’s troubled anti-violence program from 2010).

A magnificent park but a staggering cost. Worthy of a fifth star on Chicago’s flag?

http://www.daily-journal.com/news/local/yep-illinois-is-near-the-bottom-in-job-creation/article_07fcdae9-a6d2-5503-822c-1726971c80d4.html

http://www.nbcchicago.com/weather/stories/Illinois-Among-States-With-Highest-Risk-for-Earthquakes-267674671.html