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Not budgeting for the events could save the city nearly $9 million on its face, but, “The value to the city is over $100 million in economic value,” said Mark Kelly, commissioner for the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, during a budget hearing Thursday.
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Audio and summary Illinois bill would override local law to allow homeless living in all public parks – Wirepoints
April 14, 2026
24 Comments
If this bill passes, say goodbye to local control over all Illinois parks and expect to see open drug and alcohol use, needles, no sanitation and fire hazards, but no ordinary park users.
Mark Glennon on AM560’s Morning Answer: Chicago Fiscal Crisis Worse Than Pre-Bankruptcy Detroit, HIV Surge and Public Health Threat From Open Borders Goes Unreported
April 10, 2026
2 Comments
Summary and audio linked here.
Mark Glennon on AM560’s Morning Answer: Chicago pension buyout plan mostly shifts debt rather than eliminating it, property tax surge doubles inflation over three decades
April 3, 2026
9 Comments
Chicago’s political leadership is floating a pension buyout program as evidence it is seriously addressing the city’s thirty-six-billion-dollar unfunded pension liability, but Mark Glennon, founder of the Illinois policy research organization Wirepoints, said that the proposal moves debt from one column to another rather than reducing it, and that the broader fiscal picture facing the city continues to deteriorate across every measurable dimension. Audio here.
WBEZ and Chicago Sun-Times falsely blame Texas Gov. Abbott for 2020 to 2024 surge in Chicago Latino HIV, AIDS infections – Wirepoints Quickpoint
March 31, 2026
11 Comments
Expect no retraction or apology. This what they do.
Whoa. It looks like Joe and Kamala will push us back into the Paris climate accord, you know, the one where the Chinese can increase pollution for the next 30 years while we must cut now. Can’t have any airshow jets and prop planes wasting all that fuel. Chicago air and water show should be a gonner. Poor restaurant and ice cream shop owners.
Joementia will wave to the Chinese submarines as they fly through the air
One more reason to leave Chicago –if you are there–leave Illinois as well.
Why visit? Kill the entire or all industries of Chicago and Illinois
Not a big deal after the last year of seeing how the city and county are managed. Why would I / anyone want to go there? Greatly increased odds of getting mugged by some jerk Kim Foxx let off with small / no cash bail after mugging one of the senior ladies in Streeterville over the summer. Or my vehicle would get carjacked or trashed. After all the rioting and criminal behavior this summer, feels like it will be many years before people trust each other enough to consider returning to Taste of Chicago.
All of these events find their way into funding the State via the assorted taxes levied upon the event consumers. Apparently Pritzker has not thought any of that through as he cuts off the State’s nose to spite its face.
He is ignorant and dumb
Good .. waste of time events since Chicago Fest was ended.
Classic Punish-the-Taxpayers behavior from Democrat politicians. Instead of cutting costs or laying off a single government worker since the Wuhan Virus fiasco started in March, make the peasants suffer. They don’t want more taxes? Then we will show the chumbolones who is in charge.
When businesses cut back they minimize impact and inconvenience to the consumer. When Big Government cuts back (or fails to get the increase they want) they maximize the inconvenience and impact to the citizens. It ought to be illegal
Do you remember the several government shutdowns under Barack Hussein Obama? Every time they would shut down national parks, national monuments etc. They did stupid things like not letting people walk on the National Mall in DC. Punish the peasants and chumbolones for not letting the Government elites spend like drunk sailors.