Are lawmakers any closer to a budget agreement? We speak with two legislators about the progress in Springfield.
Budget Stalemate
A vote this week in the Illinois Senate could determine whether poorer school districts like Chicago Public Schools get more state money. But top Republicans say it’s a nonstarter because more affluent suburban school districts would lose money as a result.
Can aerial gondolas proposed for tours along the Chicago River lift tourism business in the city? Crain's managing editor Ann Dwyer joins us to discuss this story and more.
Gov. Bruce Rauner signed legislation Monday to help public universities and community colleges that have seen their financial foothold slip during Illinois’s unprecedented budget impasse.
Gov. Bruce Rauner approves emergency funding for higher education in Illinois. But is it enough to keep Chicago State University and others afloat?
Chicago schools chief Forrest Claypool slams the governor's education plan that sees CPS losing $74 million. We speak with our Springfield correspondent Amanda Vincky.
State lawmakers return to Springfield this week to vote on a number of measures, but not on the agenda is the No. 1 topic of discussion—the state budget that should have gone into effect last year.
It has already cut its school year short and is now warning of hundreds of layoffs. Chicago State University's chancellor says the school is in shock because the state budget stalemate has starved it of funding. But is the 150-year-old school in danger of closing?
Like a planet drifting into a black hole, the state’s unprecedented political stalemate over the budget is increasingly sucking public education into financial uncertainty. State lawmakers discuss the fight over public education and Gov. Bruce Rauner's budget ultimatum.
Gov. Bruce Rauner on Wednesday laid out two options for state lawmakers in his second budget address. Tonight, Amanda Vinicky joins us live from Springfield with more details of the governor’s budget proposal and response from Democratic legislative leaders.
Amid the budget stalemate, many public universities have been operating without funding from the state. Chicago State University has gone most of the fiscal year without a third of its budget. CSU President Thomas Calhoun Jr. tells us what's at stake.
Joel Weisman and his panel discuss Gov. Bruce Rauner’s power play to take over the financially broken Chicago Public Schools, Democrats’ response to his proposal and the lack of bipartisan support of the governor’s pension plan.
Illinois is in an unprecedented budget stalemate that's lasted more than half a year and has sucked up much of the oxygen in Springfield. On Wednesday, Republican lawmakers plan to unveil legislation that would take away mayoral control from Chicago Public Schools. We speak with a panel of legislators.
During this week’s special edition of the Week in Review, Joel Weisman and his panel discuss the biggest news stories of 2015, including the release of the Laquan McDonald video, the resignation of CPS CEO Barbara Byrd-Bennett and the three-time Stanley Cup champion Blackhawks.
As summer turns to fall, time seems to be at a standstill in Springfield. With the House not scheduled to meet anytime soon, is now the time for state lawmakers to break ranks and come up with a plan B? And if so, what practical options do they have? We talk with a group of so-called rebel lawmakers.
We share what you had to say about the continued debate over the title of Spike Lee’s new film Chi-Raq and the ongoing budget stalemate in Springfield.
