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According to the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity Grant Tracker website, the Little Black Pearl Workshop received a $71,000 grant to help complete the industrial arts glass studio, located at 1060 East 47^th Street in Chicago. Specifically the …

In 2009 the Chicago Horticultural Society received a $250,000 grant from the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity “to assist in the development of the visitor interpretive features in the Daniel F. and Ada L. Rice Plant Conservation Science Center.” …

Despite Illinois’s record deficit and $6 billion in unpaid bills, Governor Quinn recently announced $50 million in new spending for the Neighborhood Recovery Initiative. The Initiative would focus on job training for adults and small businesses and also provide …

The Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity authorized a $300,000 grant to the Shedd Aquarium Society for a Polar Play Zone Exhibit. According to the DCEO, the funds were used to assist in the development of the exhibit design …

Like many states, Illinois faces severe budget problems resulting from the economic recession. Illinois’s budget problems are made worse by the massive cost of its Medicaid program. According to the National Association of State Budget Officers, Medicaid represents approximately 30% …

In 2008, the Illinois Dept. of State Police paid 3,520 employees a total of $266,671,219 in wages, which is fourth highest among all departments. What is more interesting is that 730 employees made over $100,000, which is 20.7% of …

In the last few years, the federal government and many state governments have used a similar approach to dealing with the economic downturn: higher taxes and more government spending. Governor Quinn’s proposed tax hikes and his $31 billion Illinois Jobs …

After passing a transparency resolution about a year ago, Cook County has posted its check registry online and appears to be embracing spending transparency policy, describing their move as an “Open County Initiative,” which is “part of Cook …

Ryan Keith from the GateHouse News Service reports “Gov. Pat Quinn wants more time to give his budget address — and promises to give a public glimpse of the state’s budget situation before that.”

Although state law requires Quinn to …

During the past year, the Federal Reserve “created $2 trillion of assets and debts to rescue the nation’s financial institutions.”

Taxpayers have no idea how this money is being spent, but they have every right to know who received what …