Kankakee and Freeport were two of seven Illinois municipalities forced to place home rule referendums on the Nov. 8 ballot because of reported population drops. Others were Carbondale, Harvey, Melrose Park, Collinsville and East St. Louis. All survived, with margins of victory ranging from 53% to 47% in Harvey, to an 80% to 20% split in Melrose Park.
A largely unasked question is becoming glaring: Is Illinois doing all it should to use artificial intelligence to make government cost less and work better? So far, the evidence says no.