Author: Brett Rowland | The Center Square

Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save (The Center Square) – When hackers stole a rural school district’s computer system last year, students in the middle of midterm exams were left frustrated, but concerns went far beyond testing. Cafeteria staff scrambled to…

(The Center Square) – Investment giant BlackRock is unwinding its diversity and climate programs amid a broader retreat from such programs across the country in response to calls from Republicans. The New York-based global investment company recently bought the ports on either side of the Panama Canal in a $22.8 billion deal that garnered praise…

(The Center Square) – President Donald Trump’s administration has yet to release a report on alleged conflicts of interest by a former U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission director. Empower Oversight, a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving independent government oversight, raised questions about William Hinman, who served as director of the SEC’s Division of Corporation Finance…

(The Center Square) – House leaders have praised their early work on crafting a budget, but outside groups estimate the spending plan could add $25 trillion to the national debt over the next decade. Part of the disconnect is the extension of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Acts, which Republicans view as preventing a…

(The Center Square) – Cook County Assessor Fritz Kaegi got a prominent seat in former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan’s private box for the swearing in of the 101st General Assembly in 2019. Kaegi was seated up front with some of the state’s most powerful union leaders, Madigan’s family and some of his top precinct captains.  Assistant…

(The Center Square) – The federal government borrowed $710 billion in the first three months of fiscal year 2025, with 10 days before President-elect Donald Trump takes office. The Congressional Budget Office reported $710 billion in borrowing, including $85 billion in the month of December, according to the latest Monthly Budget Review. Federal agencies, including…

(The Center Square) – Former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan doesn’t want prosecutors to ask his long-time law partner about the profits their private law firm generated. Prosecutors plan to ask Madigan’s law partner, Vincent “Bud” Getzendanner, about the firm’s profits because they say it goes to Madigan’s motives for the alleged crimes, which include…

(The Center Square) – Home prices could climb 2% in 2025 and an additional 2% in 2026, according to the latest forecast from the National Association of Realtors. The group’s economist, Lawrence Yun, projected the median U.S. home price would continue to increase in 2025, but at a slower pace compared to previous years, reaching…

(The Center Square) – Former Illinois State Rep. Eddie Acevedo’s testimony in a high-profile corruption case got off to a bumpy start Monday with a contempt warning from the judge. Judge John Robert Blakey told Acevedo that if he forgets to bring his glasses to court again Tuesday, he could be held in contempt. His…

(The Center Square) – Prosecutors on Monday took the jury in the corruption trial of former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan through nearly a decade of payments to subcontractors who they allege did little or no work for the state’s largest utility despite getting paid. Jurors watched as Madigan associate Jay Doherty’s lobbying contract with…