The Aldercast

Every summer, Chicago braces for violence. While we talk about the causes and how to address it year after year, there’s an office quietly working at the tail end of the worst cases of it – the Cook County Medical Examiner. Read more ›

It would be reductionist to say that State Rep. Kelly Cassidy (D-Chicago) has had a big spring. But between being the lead House sponsor of both the bill to legalize recreational marijuana — making Illinois the first state to do Read more ›

It’s the invasion of the electric scooter – this weekend, 2,500 battery-powered bad boys from ten different companies will hit Chicago’s West Side. After about a year of negotiations between bureaucrats and tech companies eager to unleash the shiniest new Read more ›

The Cook County Board of Review — a three-member quasi-judicial body that hears property tax appeals — just closed the books on a record cycle. While property tax bills are expected to go out on time, the office is likely staring Read more ›

Cook County Assessor Fritz Kaegi went to Springfield and came back without a bill he contends is needed to bring true reform to Cook County’s property tax system. Kaegi, who took office in December after a series of reports about Read more ›