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The U.N. Calls Restraint Chairs Torture. Illinois Jails Use Them Every Day.
The Illinois Answers Project found jail staff are restraining people in chairs in ways that often violate policies and last longer than recommended by…
Illinois lawmakers’ attempt to reinstate wetland protections fails as legislative session ends
The U.S. Supreme Court reversed a major Clean Water Act provision protecting wetlands. Illinois lawmakers attempted to codify protections into state law during this…
Police Reports: School Officials Blocked Cops Access to Video Surveillance and Discouraged Witness From Cooperating After Fatal Shooting on Campus
The records, obtained by the Illinois Answers Project, provide greater detail on the clash between CPS and CPD at Juarez High School where four…
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BGA Names Ruby L. Bailey Editor of Illinois Answers Project
Ruby L. Bailey, a seasoned newsroom leader with a deep appreciation of the power of journalism to prompt positive change, is joining the Better Government Association’s Illinois Answers Project as…
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The Illinois Answers Project is an investigations and solutions-focused nonprofit and nonpartisan news organization published by the Better Government Association. Launched in November 2022, the Illinois Answers Project identifies problems and solutions to significant Chicago and Illinois problems. Learn more
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Solutions
This Coastal State’s Approach to Flooding May Be a Model for Illinois Communities
Illinois and New Jersey have a problem in common: Flooding, and its devastation on communities. Here, the Illinois Answers Project examines why New Jersey’s work on this front is seen as a national model.
CHA Residents Rip CEO At Hearing: ‘We Need Something Much Better Than This’
Resident leaders and even a member of the Chicago Housing Authority board called for CEO Tracey Scott to go, but some alderpeople praised “progress” at the agency.
Investigations
Contractor Implicated in Chicago Area Bribery Case Surfaces in Federal Investigation of Dolton Mayor Tiffany Henyard
Records show village paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to company whose officials were charged with bribing a county employee with jewelry, sports tickets, home improvement materials
Former Loretto Hospital Exec Charged With Embezzling $500K During COVID Crisis
Two Loretto executives worked together to steal nearly $500,000 from the safety-net hospital, which is meant to serve the poorest Chicagoans, according to a criminal complaint.
Opinion
Greising: Aldermen Gain Upper Hand Over ShotSpotter’s Future
The lengthy and intense City Council debate this week over the future of ShotSpotter, the heavily hyped and deeply flawed policing technology, came at a fitting time: just before Memorial Day weekend, when the summerlong fight against violent crime begins in earnest. Summer is when the Chicago Police Department is put to the test, and ShotSpotter…
Greising: Bears Pitch for a Lakefront Stadium Fizzled. Here’s How They Can Move Forward.
The Chicago Bears’ epically inept unveiling of plans for a new indoor stadium to replace Soldier Field will go down in Chicago lore as one of the loudest backfires in the history of the city. The initially stated $3.2 billion stadium budget turns out to be less than half the cost of the complete project.…
Greising: Illinois Tier 2 Pension Promise Needs To Be Fixed
In the debate over how to fix Illinois’ worst-in-the-nation pension problem, the people who argue that retirement pay and benefits need to be protected at all costs have always held the high ground. The law is on their side: Pensions are a contract, the benefits of which “shall not be diminished or impaired,” the Illinois…