Ben Szalinski

Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker and Republican Darren Bailey spent an hour talking over and accusing each other of stretching the truth in their only planned meeting of the campaign Tuesday night. The WTTW forum was supposed to be a question-and-answer session, but Bailey quickly revealed his strategy to interrupt Pritzker on nearly every question, launching […]

A new study predicts data centers expected to be built in Illinois over the next decade would create thousands of jobs and millions of dollars in new property tax revenue. But many are skeptical the touted benefits will live up to their promises or outweigh the environmental and energy burdens. The study by the Illinois […]

Gov. JB Pritzker is setting up a new group within state government to explore more regulations for artificial intelligence as calls grow across the country for new restrictions. Pritzker signed an executive order on Tuesday to establish an AI Cabinet made up of experts and representatives from several state agencies. The unpaid group, which will […]

Illinois’ legislature will once again soon find itself without a legislative inspector general. Michael McCuskey will resign that watchdog post amid criticism about his ability to handle investigations. It’s the latest twist for a post that McCuskey’s two immediate predecessors described as “broken” and a “paper tiger.” Prior to that, the LIG’s office sat vacant […]

Most Illinois retailers will be required to accept cash payments beginning in 2028 under a bill Gov. JB Pritzker signed on Friday. House Bill 4592 requires retailers that employ someone to process in-person consumer transactions to accept cash payments on purchases under $500, though the businesses do not have to accept bills larger than $20. The […]

 Illinois lawmakers approved the state budget early Monday morning after slogging through the night, enacting new taxes on businesses and authorizing less spending than what Gov. JB Pritzker proposed in February. “It’s allowed us to be prepared for the great reality we face today,” Senate Democrats budget leader Elgie Sims, of Chicago, said during debate. […]

Faculty at the University of Illinois Springfield ended a more than two-week strike on Monday after reaching an agreement with university administrators overnight. Tenured and tenure-track faculty at UIS, one of three University of Illinois system institutions, went on strike on April 3 after failing to reach an agreement with UIS administrators over pay increases. […]

Local government leaders in Illinois are once again calling on state lawmakers to increase funding for their communities after Gov. JB Pritzker called for reducing the share of income taxes disbursed to municipalities. Pritzker’s budget, introduced last month, calls for reducing the share of income tax revenues that is divided among counties and other municipalities […]

Gov. JB Pritzker denied a since-recanted comment by former President Bill Clinton that Clinton thought the pair may have traveled together on a plane owned by convicted sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein. His denial was in response to a 90-second video clip of Clinton’s closed-door deposition before the U.S. House Oversight and Government Reform Committee that […]

As Illinois awaits federal court decisions about federal funding and braces for more federal cuts and rising costs, Gov. JB Pritzker is proposing limited new spending. The budget proposed by Pritzker on Wednesday largely maintains the status quo, and forgoes significant broad-based tax increases. The proposed budget totals $56 billion in spending in fiscal year […]