We suspect this budget would have received the praise anyway because it wasn't crafted with Eye of Newt, Scowl of Daley. more ›

The Tribune calls many of City Inspector General Ferguson's suggestions "politically poisonous," and they definitely are -- but at least he's thinking outside the box. more ›

The report recommends halving the City Council, cutting fire department staff and privatizing Midway Airport. more ›

You know how certain credit cards have the interest rate tied to your credit report, so if your credit score goes down, your interest rate gets jacked up on credit purchases going forward, even if you've made all your payments for that card on time? The current Illinois bond situation is kind of like that. more ›

According to the Civic Federation, financial Armageddon is at Illinois' doorstep. The Sun Times reports that the watchdog group, one of many in our state, released an analysis yesterday recommending the state increase the income tax, cut $2 billion more from the budget, along with some other measures to alleviate a $12 billion budgetary black hole. In an interview with the Sun Times, Civic Federation president Laurence Msall said “Doomsday is here.” more ›

In a possible compromise over the level of transparency of Chicago's 2016 Summer Olympics bid, an independent auditor will review the city's bid, analyzing the numbers behind the bid. L.E.K. Consulting, a London-based strategic consulting firm, will be doing the counting. The organization has experience in sports and marketing, including a 2007 analysis of the Rugby Football Union. The firm was criticized for its excessive fee structure and its uncollaborative approach. The report called for radical reforms in the sport. more ›