Working every day to uncover waste and wrongdoing in government, hold public officials accountable and lift up solutions to Illinois’ most pressing problems.
Illinois Answers Project
For years, Daniel Brown cycled in and out of jail.
Then a judge sent him to mental health court. There, he was diagnosed with schizophrenia.
“It made sense when they explained it, because it broke down a lot of things I was dealing with,” he said.
Read the story: https://bit.ly/41YB95a
Now, therapists are quitting in droves. Illinois Answers Project talked to dozens of providers who said it’s hard to work in the program, citing poor benefits, zero paid sick days, and other hidden costs like travel reimbursement as mounting barriers.
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Advocates say the fix is more money. Consultants hired by the state estimate the program would need an additional $150 million per year for Illinois providers to be paid similarly to those in comparable states
Cook County Property Tax Delays — Here's what is still delayed:
❌ 2900 second installment bills due to go out in Nov. 2025
❌ 4,663 first installment bills due to go out this Spring
❌ 91,000 refunds backlogged, totaling in $200 million due back to taxpayers
Read the story: https://bit.ly/4t4dTh2
New body-cam footage shows what happened in the minutes after CPD Officer Krystal Rivera was shot and killed by her then partner, Carlos Baker.
Officers loaded Rivera into a squad car to rush her to the hospital, then spent a crucial minute searching for the keys.
Read more: https://bit.ly/4eXQ1IL
Here's what you need to know about early intervention in Illinois: illinoisanswers.org/2026/06/04/e...
Since the Obama Presidential Center was announced 10 years ago, home prices in Woodlawn have skyrocketed. Residents have long warned that lower-income neighbors could be priced out. In 2020, Chicago launched a plan to slow displacement in the area. But it's fallen short. https://bit.ly/4npRZDS
But even as hundreds of therapists are leaving Early Intervention, more families are qualifying – creating a bottleneck and driving up wait times for appointments by months and even up to a year.
Early Intervention is a free program for Illinois families who need physical or occupational therapy for their toddlers. It’s proven to help improve developmental delays.
But the therapists who provide the care are paid less than those working in other states:
