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Posts tagged "Illinois"

Community support pushing minimum wage bill to key vote one year after introduction

Community support pushing minimum wage bill to key vote one year after introduction
State Sen. Kimberly Lightford, the main sponsor of a bill to raise the minimum wage in Illinois, and a coterie of advocacy groups that support the legislation are feeling optimistic. The bill was introduced more than a year ago, in February 2011, and has been stalled ever since. But a vote Wednesday in the executive... Read more »
By YanaKunichoff,
May 15, 2012 at 9:09 am
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Race and poverty roundup: Woodlawn MHC victory; activists occupy office to protest DHS cuts; and more...

The fight to save the Woodlawn Mental Health Clinic appears to have its first victory. According to Mark Cassello, a Huffington Post contributor, the Emanuel administration has offered to keep the Woodlawn Adult Health Center open. The center would be staffed with two therapists and no psychologists. The announcement comes after ongoing demonstrations at the... Read more »
By YanaKunichoff,
April 27, 2012 at 12:06 pm
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Crete: Will a promised economic windfall go to the prison company or to residents?

Crete: Will a promised economic windfall go to the prison company or to residents?
The Village of Crete, Ill., is surprisingly small for a community that sits just 30 minutes south of Chicago’s bustling Loop. The Will County village has fewer than 9,000 residents and a small, but solid, middle-class majority–the median household income is $70,074, according to the 2010 Census. For those residents, a prison that brings an... Read more »
By YanaKunichoff,
March 7, 2012 at 11:58 am
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Crete: Lax oversight and a history of abuse lead to doubts about the Corrections Corporations of America

This article is the second in a three-part series looking at some of the different elements of the proposed Crete detention center. The Corrections Corporation of America has earned some infamy. The private prison company operates 65 facilities in 19 states, had about 570 lawsuits filed against it between 1998 and 2008, and earns $109.1... Read more »
By YanaKunichoff,
March 5, 2012 at 5:10 pm
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Politics 2012: Races to keep an eye on

Politics 2012: Races to keep an eye on
This year will be big for Chicago politics as races at nearly every level will be on the ballot. Scanning this year’s political spectrum reveals a number of contests that could result in hard-fought battles with game-changing outcomes. Take Illinois’ 2ndCongressional District, which U.S. Rep. Jesse L. Jackson, Jr. has represented since 1995, for example... Read more »
By Nick Moroni,
February 9, 2012 at 2:32 pm
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Minimum wage in Illinois would help economic recovery, report says

Organizers and economists in Chicago are arguing for a grassroots stimulus plan that would increase consumer spending and close the wage gap–by raising wages. The Economic Policy Institute argues in a new report that gradually increasing the minimum wage in the next four years from the current $8.25 an hour to $10.65 by 2015 would... Read more »
By YanaKunichoff,
January 31, 2012 at 3:56 pm
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Job market continues to be harder for black folks

The national unemployment news looks good. Well, better. In December 2011, we ducked down to 8.5 percent, down from a steady nine. But the story’s different if you’re black. Every racial and gender group saw declining unemployment during 2011, except black folks. The black unemployment rate held steady, and in Illinois, the most recent data... Read more »
By MeganCottrell,
January 10, 2012 at 3:58 pm
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Does giving contracts to minority-owned companies matter?

A few weeks ago, my colleague Micah Maidenberg wrote about the city’s problems with “widespread fraud and abuse,” in Chicago’s contracting program for minority- and woman-owned businesses. In response, we received a pointed question–one I think a lot of people think but never ask aloud. RogerClegg said 2 weeks, 6 days ago Why do race... Read more »
By MeganCottrell,
July 12, 2011 at 11:46 am
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High gas prices might squeeze Chicago's poor tighter than others

With gas prices registering $1.25 a gallon higher than they were last year in the Chicago area, the average household is spending more on gas. Economists estimate that it’s almost 8 percent of their income on gas. But some say that percentage is probably higher for the poor who earn less and typically travel farther... Read more »
By CRIntern,
June 28, 2011 at 11:03 am
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News Roundup: Measure to extend jobless benefits fails to pass the House vote.

While Illinois unemployment rate crept down last month, the state remains plagued by unemployment in the country’s tepid economic recovery. While the federal unemployment benefits are set to run out over the holiday season, a measure to extend the benefits failed to pass with the two-thirds majority required by the tactic used to bring the... Read more »
By CRIntern,
November 22, 2010 at 11:31 am
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