http://www.wbez.org/news/half-all-public-school-students-illinois-now-considered-low-income-111044 And by the way, kids, most of the bill for Illinois pensions and other debt will be yours.

Another reason the state has the slowest growth in the Great Lakes region via Quinn Stalls Drilling in Illinois – WSJ – WSJ.

For years, mayors in Illinois have clamored for more control over their state-directed but locally funded pension systems. But their petitions have fallen on deaf ears. Local communities remain captive to a system in which the Statehouse sets municipal pension benefit levels with little regard to whether a city and its taxpayers can afford them. http://www.forbes.com/sites/realspin/2014/11/03/the-pension-crisis-in-illinois/

Schock raised $150,000 in Peoria for statewide candidates Bruce Rauner and Judy Baar Topinka; $50,000 in donations to treasurer candidate Tom Cross through a variety of campaign accounts Schock has a role in; and dozens of other donations to local and state candidates. http://illinoisreview.typepad.com/illinoisreview/2014/11/us-rep-aaron-schock-wins-in-state-campaign-fundraising-race.html

Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn in the last few weeks has dropped more than $100 million on his bid to win re-election. And that doesn’t include political contributions. via Political Diary: Quinn’s Public Financing – WSJ – WSJ.

http://newsbusters.org/blogs/tom-blumer/2014/11/02/quad-city-times-doesnt-challenge-michelle-obamas-gaffe-adds-one-their

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/31/us/voters-in-illinois-to-choose-failure-or-the-billionaire.html?_r=0

http://illinoisreview.typepad.com/illinoisreview/2014/11/rauner-was-right-to-battle-the-sun-times.html#tpe-action-posted-6a00d834515c5469e201bb07a4d9bc970d

http://www.wsiltv.com/news/politics/One-in-Five-Households-on-Food-Stamps-281134432.html

A committee calling itself Campaign for 2016 has spent $1.7 million on a furious last-minute effort to deny Lloyd Karmeier a second 10-year term. The campaign, bankrolled by plaintiffs lawyers seeking big paydays from class-action lawsuits, has sponsored mailers and television ads accusing Karmeier of “letting corporations buy justice.” via Big money in play in Southern Illinois Supreme Court retention – Chicago Tribune.

When a business contemplates relocating a factory or headquarters to another state they contemplate a number of factors, not the least of which is the overall health of state government, says former Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels. http://ilnews.org/3179/what-can-illinois-learn-from-its-neighbor/

Illinois has hit a milestone it was not trying for.  Low-income children now outnumber middle-class students in Illinois public schools. Another indicator of Illinois’ downward mobility. http://northernpublicradio.org/post/illinois-report-card-shows-increase-low-income-students

Payroll at the campus increased by about 3 percent this year and more people are earning $150,000 or more. http://www.wandtv.com/story/27186852/data-show-salaries-increasing-at-u-of-illinois

Research from the Friedman Foundation for Educational Choice shows education cuts can be made without teacher layoffs. http://blog.heartland.org/2014/11/illinois-educators-can-learn-from-high-achieving-nations/