By Neil Murthy Meet Whitney—a 42-year-old wife and a mother living on the North Shore. Her favorite pastimes include performing in musical theater, actively participating
By Harvard Zhang The state’s financial crisis is undermining community college efforts to equip Illinoisans, particularly from low-income families, with high-tech manufacturing skills at a time
By Harvard Zhang Springfield, Ill.— No K-12 funding plan, let alone a fiscal 2017 budget, cleared the Illinois legislature before midnight Tuesday when the spring
By Harvard Zhang Springfield, Ill. — Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan showed no rush to advance a short-term budget Governor Bruce Rauner proposed on the
By Harvard Zhang Springfield, Ill. — Illinois lawmakers have until midnight Tuesday to push the brakes on the state’s entering a second budget-less year, which
By Max Greenwood It was a Thursday night in mid-April, and Kathleen Dillon dragged tables around the Heartland Café, carefully arranging them to give a
By Harvard Zhang The return on Chicago’s investment portfolio is on track to beat last year’s results thanks to the re-allocation of funds into higher-yield
By Lucia Maffei “You know, first prize is $10,000. It could be the first share of your college tuition.” The 10-something girl with a cat
By Shanshan Wang Idalia Cervantes still recalls vividly when she accompanied her mother to the doctor as her interpreter at age seven. Not yet knowing
By Katie Murar The Federal Reserve backed away from an April rate hike, meaning there’s still time for consumers to take advantage of low borrowing