-- Connecting the dots between our economy, government and business --
Stacy Davis Gates, president of the Chicago Teachers Union, is now also president of the Illinois Federation of Teachers where she’ll take her advocacy to the state level. “Fred Hampton of the Black Panther Party fed people, right? And now our schools feed people. You see how government lags the people? The people say the rich have to pay their fair share,” she said.
“The unprecedented Council-generated FY2026 budget that will now take effect has improved on the Mayor’s initial proposal but still falls far short of what is needed to address Chicago’s deeply challenged financial situation. Among other things, the Council budget wisely makes Chicago’s full advance pension payment.”
State Sen. Dave Syverson emphasized the importance of improving the job climate to stimulate economic growth. “You can grow your way into prosperity. You just can’t tax your way into prosperity.”
A brief video, shared on Instagram by the account Chitown Gangs, shows several men surrounding the 25-year-old victim and repeatedly kicking and punching him as he curls into a defensive position on the sidewalk. The attackers appear to taunt the man during the beating.
The primary election is only two-and-a-half months away.
According to CPD’s preliminary year-end crime statistics, Chicago saw 1,471 shooting incidents and 416 murders in 2025.
City officials say the largest decreases were reported in neighborhoods that have long struggled with violence, including West Englewood, Roseland, Austin, North Lawndale, and South Shore.
Chad Leman of Leman Farms said taxes are an ongoing issue for the future of farming in Illinois. “We continue to deal with estate planning and how do we pass these farms on to the next generations. How can we make it tax-friendly to do so? That will need to be addressed at the state level,” he said.
Forty percent of CPS attendees did not receive required approval to attend the conference yet still used CPS funds to pay for airfare, lodging and registration fees. Many could have attended the same conference in Chicago but chose not to. The conference was offered in Chicago and Las Vegas in 2023, but only 28 employees chose to stay in Chicago. Over 200 jet set to Las Vegas.
The $7 million grant is to move the University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign’s swine research center to a new location. Despite exploring proposals for over a decade, UIUC has struggled to secure its own funding for the relocation. Yet, in fiscal year 2025, the institution received nearly $1 billion in total public and private awards.
After obtaining a search warrant, investigators determined that Dyson products had been stolen while being transported from California to Kentucky. Authorities said Wahl hair clippers were reported stolen in Whiteside County, while the last known location of the Nike merchandise was in California.
“We will come back, perhaps in a much different and stronger form, when crime begins to soar again – Only a question of time!” the president wrote on Truth Social.
Since 2018, Illinois’ economy has grown just 7.4 percent – among the slowest of any state. In that same time, the state budget has grown over 36 percent, nearly five times faster than the economy. The U.S. economy has grown 18 percent, 2.5 times faster than Illinois’.
Chicago-area home prices are defying the weakness in the U.S. housing market, rising at about twice the rate of inflation and four times the nationwide growth in home prices.
“Committing to the public infrastructure necessary to support a multibillion-dollar private investment would keep one of the founding franchises of the NFL in Illinois, protect thousands of jobs and ensure long-term economic benefits for generations to come.”
“Of that $3.47 billion for the state budget, the biggest share comes from the Illinois Lottery with $789 million. The state counts on Illinoisans’ bad habits to fill budget holes created by state leaders’ lack of fiscal self-control.”
SIGN UP HERE FOR OUR FREE WIREPOINTS DAILY NEWSLETTER