Illinois’ average in-state tuition to public universities is among the highest in the nation. Getting an education is crucial to escaping poverty, putting Illinoisans at a great disadvantage.

A federal jury convicted Burke on 13 corruption counts after hearing allegations that the longest-serving City Council member in Chicago history with a 54-year tenure had used his power to win private law business from developers. The corruption schemes occurred in 2016, 2017 and 2018.

Democrats are, of course, delighted to now control what has become a one-party state, and they could not resist the opportunity to gloat over the GOP’s latest self-inflicted wound.

Republicans are pouncing on the failures of so-called progressive policies, and let’s hope the GOP can force Democrats to move to the center for the sake of rescuing some of America’s great cities. Republicans are trying to win elections, but win or lose they will have performed a public service if they can force their opponents to prioritize public safety and prosperity in our country’s urban centers. There is also a breakdown of civilized behavior.

Pandemic fraud is shaping up to be the biggest financial scam in U.S. history. Of the $5 trillion in relief that former President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden authorized, hundreds of billions are believed to have been ripped off. The pandemic’s first year was especially bad, with an estimated 20% of every dollar paid out going to criminals.

Pritzker’s predilection is so striking that he drew national attention from The New York Times.

In 2022, chronic absenteeism in Chicago Public Schools jumped to 44.6%, almost doubling from the 2018 rate of 23%, state data show. Statewide, it was 16.8% in 2018, jumping to 29.8% in 2022. More than 125,000 CPS students last year met the definition of chronically absent.

In 2022-23, about 36% of public school teachers in Illinois were absent at least 10 times. That’s up from just 26% in 2018-19. For Chicago Public Schools, the numbers are even more alarming. Forty-three percent of teachers missed at least 10 days.

“It is unbearable to me that the rights my mother, and so many women like her, fought to obtain and protect are now being ripped away from a new generation of women. I am terrified that this new and dangerous landscape will open the door to taking other rights away from women and girls.”