When the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) scheduled a strike vote earlier this year, many viewed the move as another tactic orchestrated by the union to prevent Gov. Bruce Rauner from imposing his last, best offer.

This past academic year has been nothing short of trying for Illinois’ state universities, which rely heavily on the state for funding.

Illinois’ General State Aid (GSA) funds K-12 education and was originally intended to financially support school districts with the most need. Through the years, however, the formulas used to calculate the amount of state funding school districts receive has sparked outrage over the funding system providing large subsidies to a few select districts, namely, Chicago Public Schools.

A recent study revealed that Illinois’ financial crisis arises from “congenital failure” of leadership coupled with voters’ failure to grasp the enormity of the state’s money problems and their demands for accountability from legislators.

The village of Wauconda has achieved the kind of fiscal success many wish Illinois as a whole could master. 

Illinois Republican Senate candidate Benjamin Salzberg says Democratic legislators should not be criticizing large companies when they are forced to lay off Illinois employees. Instead, blame should be placed on the “really bad policies” the party has supported.

Republicans in the Illinois General Assembly have tried once again to get answers from Illinois Auditor General Frank Mautino regarding his campaign spending while serving in the House.

Illinois Senate President John Cullerton’s proposal to tax Illinois drivers based on road usage may generate more revenue to maintain the state’s roads, but such a complex task may prove immensely difficult to implement and sustain.

Dawn Abernathy, a Republican candidate for state House District 59, is supporting an Independent Maps petition to place the Independent Map Amendment before voters this November.

Labor leaders in Lake and McHenry counties said Monday a boycott of some Lincolnshire businesses is in order due to a perceived anti-union Village Board vote last year. In response to the Lincolnshire Village Board’s right-to-work ordinance passed in December, Northeastern Illinois Federation of Labor officials said they were endorsing a boycott of all nonunion businesses in Lincolnshire.

Illinois Senate GOP candidate Dan McConchie has razor-sharp focus on what he hopes to accomplish in Springfield, if elected.

Rod Drobinski, a GOP candidate for the 62nd District state House seat, is appalled by the move by Democrats to dismiss a Republican attempt to cancel a scheduled recess.

Not only is 26th District Senate GOP candidate Dan McConchie leading the polls across all demographics by 10 points, according to a new We Ask America poll conducted on Feb. 16, but he also has received five new endorsements from conservative lawmakers eager to have him on their team, which brings the total number of endorsements by conservative legislators to 14.

Lake County’s big Jobapalooza Job Resource Fair is coming up on March 3.

The Lake County Board is supporting an initiative to introduce new sate legislation to consolidate local governments and save taxpayers money.

The 2015 standardized test scores for Barrington Community Unit School District (CUSD) 220’s Roslyn Road Elementary School were below average despite the school district posting the highest per student spending, according to a report recently released by the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE). 

The Illinois pension crisis continues with little assurance that a quick-fix will solve the state’s mounting financial disaster.