Working every day to uncover waste and wrongdoing in government, hold public officials accountable, and lift up solutions to Illinois’ most pressing problems.
Chicago, IL
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Mayoral hopeful George Cardenas’ campaign inadvertently exposed 1.5 million Chicago voters’ personal data through his campaign site, which appears to have been largely built with AI.
Experts agree the move was a “complete lapse” in security.
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Chicago Leaders ‘Optimistic’ an Apartment Registry Will Boost City’s Troubled Record on Building Safety.
✍️ @AlexNitkin
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Evanston Faces $20M Discrepancy in Motor Fuel Tax Fund After Years of State Warnings. illinoisanswers.org/2026/10/…
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Illinois issued nearly $1 billion in tax credits to film and TV productions over the past six years.
The film industry and Gov. Pritzker say the credits help keep Illinois competitive for film jobs. Critics warn they could shift hundreds of millions in fiscal burden to taxpayers.
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Illinois is among the states leading the country in film tax incentives, alongside New York, California and Georgia.
The program has expanded significantly since Illinois first created it in 2003. Here’s a look at how the state’s film tax credits have grown over the past two decades:
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But who ultimately benefits from those tax breaks?Production companies can sell or transfer their credits to others.
Recent buyers and recipients include Kraft Foods, U.S. Bank, Citadel Securities CEO Peng Zhao and Smashing Pumpkins founder Billy Corgan.
Zhao purchased $13.7 million in Illinois film tax credits between 2021 and 2025.
Illinois Answers and @CapitolNewsIllinois examine the questions surrounding the program in our latest joint investigation:
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Cook County Board Defers Resolution Calling for Independent Review of State’s Largest Jail.
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Childcare centers across Illinois hire qualified workers, then wait … and wait … for their background checks to clear.
Federal requirements say those checks should be completed within 45 days.
Illinois Answers found they’re taking months.
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The delays can leave childcare centers short-staffed, force them to cap enrollment and close classrooms and, in some cases, contribute to centers closing altogether.
@MereNewman reports on how the state’s background-check backlog is affecting childcare providers across Illinois: illinoisanswers.org/2026/09/…
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Every year, Illinois’ more than 90 county jails report thousands of “extraordinary and unusual” occurrences — riots, fires, escapes, forced medications, and deaths.
The state agency managing the reports barely investigates any cases and doesn’t track trends.
So we did.
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We also turned the 30,000 pages of records we gathered into a searchable database so you can investigate what’s happening at your local jail.
Search the database: projects.illinoisanswers.org…
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Illinois Regulators Propose Expansion to Self-Exclusion Program for Compulsive Gamblers. illinoisanswers.org/2026/09/…
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A Chinatown landlord racked up $119 million in debt, defaulted on his loans, and has left nearly 70 properties dilapidated and facing foreclosure. His tenants are paying the price.
Here’s what we found in our latest investigation with Chinatown Spotlight. ⬇️
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But in 2025, Chen’s real estate empire began to topple — a domino effect as a result of his own risky business practices.
Property records and court filings show he took loans out to buy buildings and then took out larger loans against those properties to buy more. He allegedly deceived investors and inflated rental income.
Meanwhile, he racked up hundreds of building code violations from the city for things like faulty plumbing, rusting walkways, and pest infestations.
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Read more about how Chen operated, what residents, the city and a management company say about the condition of Chen’s properties, and what’s next:
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