Illinois Quick Hits: Chicago city workers owe more than $19M

Illinois Quick Hits: Chicago city workers owe more than $19M

April 3, 2026/Newspaper Staff/

By Jim Talamonti | The Center Square
The Center Square

(The Center Square) – Chicago city workers reportedly owe more than $19 million in traffic tickets, water bills and fines, yet more than half the workers have never been enrolled in a payment plan or had their wages garnished.

According to data the city’s finance department provided to the Chicago Sun-Times under the Illinois Freedom of Information Act, nearly 80% of the scofflaws have jobs with the Chicago Board of Education or the Chicago Transit Authority and owe nearly $15.7 million to the city.

MAN GETS 95-YEAR SENTENCE FOR ATTEMPTED MURDER OF STATE TROOPER

A Chicago man has been sentenced to 95 years in prison for attempting to kill an Illinois state trooper during a traffic stop in Springfield.

Cristobal Santana was sentenced in Sangamon County court Friday for the shooting that injured Trooper Dakotah Chapman-Green in 2023.

SPRING TURKEY SEASONS OPEN THIS MONTH

Illinois’ first spring turkey hunting season starts Monday and runs through April 10 for the south zone of the state.

Spring turkey hunting is scheduled April 13 to April 17 for the north zone. More information can be found on the Illinois Department of Natural Resources spring turkey season website.

Leave a Comment





Latest News Stories

Democrats tank DHS bill again, likely triggering partial govt shutdown

Democrats tank DHS bill again, likely triggering partial govt shutdown

By Thérèse BoudreauxThe Center Square Democrats in the U.S. Senate tanked the Homeland Security full-year funding bill in a last-ditch vote Thursday, all but guaranteeing a partial government shutdown starting...
GOP governor candidate Heidner wants Illinois to ‘make,’ not ‘take’

GOP governor candidate Heidner wants Illinois to ‘make,’ not ‘take’

By Greg Bishop | The Center SquareThe Center Square (The Center Square) – One of the four Republicans vying for the party’s nomination to take on Gov. J.B. Pritzker says...

WATCH: WA to distribute its store of abortion pills to clinics, possibly nationwide

By Carleen JohnsonThe Center Square Washington Senators have passed a bill that would allow the state to distribute millions of abortion pills, it purchased after the U.S. Supreme Court decision...
Texas now leading in border security in the Arctic

Texas now leading in border security in the Arctic

By Bethany BlankleyThe Center Square Texas is again leading on border security, this time in the Arctic. New icebreakers are being built for the U.S. Coast Guard in Galveston and...
Federal debt expected to climb, but how much debt can U.S. carry?

Federal debt expected to climb, but how much debt can U.S. carry?

By Brett RowlandThe Center Square The latest projections show U.S. debt will continue to grow over the next decade, hitting 120% of gross domestic product by 2036, raising questions about...
Op-Ed: If Illinois wants clean energy, it needs data centers

Op-Ed: If Illinois wants clean energy, it needs data centers

By LyLena Estabine | Illinois Policy InstituteThe Center Square If Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker wants to reach his environmental and economic goals, data centers will need to be central to...
Bill lets Arizonans vote on right to refuse medical mandates

Bill lets Arizonans vote on right to refuse medical mandates

By Zachery SchmidtThe Center Square A new bill proposes giving Arizonans the chance to vote on whether the right of refusal in medical situations should be guaranteed in the state...
Illinois senator’s bill on transgender ‘mental illness’ sparks debate

Illinois senator’s bill on transgender ‘mental illness’ sparks debate

By Catrina Barker | The Center Square contributorThe Center Square (The Center Square) – State Sen. Andrew Chesney, R–Freeport, is pushing legislation that would classify transgenderism as a mental illness...
Dems cheer end to Minnesota immigration operation; GOP calls it success

Dems cheer end to Minnesota immigration operation; GOP calls it success

By Elyse ApelThe Center Square Democrats are applauding White House border czar Tom Homan’s Thursday announcement that immigration enforcement operation in Minnesota will end next week. The announcement comes more...
GOP leader seeks federal probe into Michigan grants, Dearborn nonprofits

GOP leader seeks federal probe into Michigan grants, Dearborn nonprofits

By Elyse ApelThe Center Square Michigan Senate Republican Leader Aric Nesbitt is calling on the U.S. Department of Justice to review grant oversight and administration involving several Michigan state agencies...
Arizona committee advances Charlie Kirk plaza bill

Arizona committee advances Charlie Kirk plaza bill

By Zachery SchmidtThe Center Square The Arizona state Senate Government Committee advanced a bill to rename a Phoenix plaza in honor of conservative leader Charlie Kirk. The committee members voted...
Lawmaker says Illinois behind 44 states in legislative transparency

Lawmaker says Illinois behind 44 states in legislative transparency

By Catrina Barker | The Center Square contributorThe Center Square (The Center Square) – Illinois House Minority Leader Rep. Tony McCombie, R-Savanna, is renewing her bid to increase transparency in...
Transportation officials say a loophole closed on CDL drivers

Transportation officials say a loophole closed on CDL drivers

By Alan WootenThe Center Square CDL drivers causing 17 fatal crashes and 30 deaths in 2025 are no longer eligible to get a nondomiciled commercial driver’s license, according to a...
Illinois Quick Hits: Foreign national faces harboring, forced labor charges

Illinois Quick Hits: Foreign national faces harboring, forced labor charges

By Jim Talamonti | The Center SquareThe Center Square (The Center Square) – A Honduran citizen residing in Waukegan has been indicted for allegedly bringing illegal aliens into the United...
Immigration enforcement surge to end in Minnesota, Homan says

Immigration enforcement surge to end in Minnesota, Homan says

By Andrew RiceThe Center Square White House Border Czar Tom Homan said on Thursday the monthslong immigration enforcement operation in Minnesota will end in the next week. On Dec. 4,...