Jim Dey

Illinois — for the second straight fiscal year — set a record for tax revenue. The state brought in $56.3 billion in the fiscal year that ended June 30. But Eric Noggle, revenue manager for the state’s Commission on Government Forecasting & Accoutabil... See more

To submit a letter to the editor, click here. To pitch a 'My Turn' guest column, email jdalessio@news-gazette.com. It’s time once again to dive into another round of quick takes on the people, places and events that were being talked about over the past w... See more

There’s good news and bad news these days in Champaign County government. The good news is that the county has wrapped up its much-delayed 2024 audit of county finances. The bad news is the county already is behind schedule on starting — and finishing — w... See more

Illinois is a California wannabe — certainly not when it comes to Hollywood, movie stars and Jed Clampett, but definitely on the political front. So it was only a matter of time before the once-“Golden State’s” new brand of attack politics — artificial-in... See more

A Stanford University study about state education spending increases being consumed by teacher pension costs paints a disturbing picture of Illinois’ future. The point made by the study’s authors — Joshua Rauh and Gregory Kearney of Stanford’s Hoover Inst... See more