Newspaper Articles – John Skorburg

Chicago Inspector Finds ‘No Safety Motive’ for City’s Traffic Cameras

A recent audit by the Chicago Inspector General’s Office concludes the city “could not substantiate a safety motive” for traffic enforcement cameras.

Chicago Cubs Pledge $300 Million to Renovate Wrigley Field

The owners of the Chicago Cubs Major League Baseball team say they are willing to spend $300 million of their own money to renovate their home ballpark, the nearly 100-year-old Wrigley Field.

Chicago Mayor Promises No New Taxes or Fees

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel has pledged to raise no new taxes or fees despite a budget deficit of nearly $300 million.

State Tax Collections Top Pre-Recession Levels

Overall state tax collections have recovered from the Great Recession, according to a recent report from the Rockefeller Institute of Government at the University of Albany.

Foreclosures, Debt Forgiveness Could be Taxed Again Beginning January 1

Financially strapped homeowners stand to become even more downtrodden in 2013.

Illinois Governor Ties Medicaid Reform to Higher Cigarette Tax

Illinois Governor Pat Quinn (D) has announced a plan to “stabilize Illinois’ Medicaid system and prevent collapse of the program” that includes a $1 per pack increase in the cigarette tax.

Business Groups Balk at Higher Minimum Wage Talk in New York

New York Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver (D-Manhattan) is leading a move to raise the state’s minimum wage from $7.25 to $8.50 and then index it to annual inflation.

Taxpayers Flee Illinois, State Loses $26 Billion of Taxable Income

“One taxpayer moved out of Illinois every 10 minutes between 1995 and 2009,” according to the Illinois Policy Institute, and it appears taxes and tax policies are to blame for many of the losses.

Chicago Mayor Says ‘No’ to New Taxes

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel (D) says without significant reforms the city’s 2012 budget will be hundreds of millions of dollars in the red, and he pledges to address the problem without raising taxe