Chicago City Council Progressive Caucus holds town hall on 2017 budget
By Alex Ortiz If all politics are local, then a City Council Progressive Caucus town hall at Malcolm X College Thursday mirrored issues driving the national election conversation. Residents punctuated two main topics: child care access and jobs. “We’re just looking for more funding in that area,” said April Drayton, a childcare professional from Morgan […]
Looming state budget cuts set up cultural clash at centers for students of color
By Alex Ortiz Brittney Hopgood graduated from the University of Illinois at Chicago in 2014 with a degree in industrial design. The high point? Getting a part-time job as a African-American Cultural Center marketing assistant. She had struggled to find an internship within her major to gain experience, and there, she found opportunity — and […]
As the semester winds down with no state budget in sight, Chicago State students ponder their school’s future
By Jasmine Cannon Illinois is the only state in America that has not passed a budget for its fiscal year. The political impasse between the governor and the legislature has been going on since July. The deadlock has caused an uproar in the educational community because some public universities are running out of the money needed […]
Illinois Developmental Centers Are to Remain Open
By Shen Wu Tan The seven Illinois state-operated developmental centers, housing individuals with developmental disabilities, will not close, according to the second proposed state budget. Due to the number of individuals still living in these centers and the amount of time it takes to transition these residents into the community, the state cannot justify shutting […]
State budget deadlock jeopardizes manufacturing industry
By Lawrence Rigby Springfield’s inability to pass a budget for fiscal 2016 threatens to make life harder for the already hard-pressed Illinois manufacturing industry. The deadlock could cause manufacturers to lose a Research and Development tax credit that encourages the innovation of new R&D projects. The possible loss of the 6.5 percent tax credit, due […]
