Video gaming terminals (VGTs) are a major industry in Illinois and influence much of what’s happening with gambling in the state. Illinois has about 45,000 terminals, far more than any other state. The terminals are located in about 8,200 locations, which include restaurants, bars, and truck stops. Perhaps the biggest reason VGTs are crucial to Illinois is the tax revenue they bring to the state and local municipalities. Illinois charges a 34% tax on the 45,000 video terminals’ income. Of that, 5% goes to local municipalities.

A recently released Stanford University study shows the impact charter schools can have on closing achievement gaps for students of color. Researchers discovered that students who attend charter schools show more academic growth over the course of a school year compared to their peers at district-operated schools. In Illinois specifically, that difference was equal to charter school students attending 40 extra days of school for reading and 48 extra days for math.

As another of Illinois’ border states is set to enact a near-total abortion ban this week, Gov. JB Pritzker on Monday announced several new programs to help address the influx of out-of-state abortion seekers the state has seen in the 13 months since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.

House Bill 3751 passed with bipartisan support during spring session. Police groups were split between being neutral or supporting the measure.

Since 2010, teachers unions have funneled nearly $20 million to current lawmakers in the Illinois General Assembly, with the Chicago Teachers Union alone spending over $1.25 million.

A state appeals court in Springfield has ended a lawsuit that could have proven to be politically embarrassing to Gov. JB Pritzker, saying Pritzker’s political ally Attorney General Kwame Raoul has “virtually unfettered” ability to shut down any action that someone seeks to bring on behalf of the state, even if the decision may appear to have political implications.

A “deep dive” into Illinois’ cannabis market.

“Needs context…. Only non-U.S. citizens who are allowed to work in the U.S. under federal law and individuals who entered the country without valid documents as children but who were allowed to stay without fears of deportation under the DACA program will be able to apply to become part of Illinois law enforcement.”

A taxpayer-funded fair housing nonprofit in Illinois, with the help of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), is demanding a federal crackdown on landlords who don’t rent to tenants with eviction records.

Union chiefs and the politicians they support sit on both sides of the bargaining table. That was demonstrated again last week when Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed a whopping new contract with the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (Afscme). Unions are running the table in Illinois because Mr. Pritzker and state Democrats essentially work for the unions that provide the cash for re-election