After a report that state and local government waste $100 million annually, 86th District House candidate Rick Laib said stripping government back to basics would return the state to sound economic footing.

Patty Smith laments how lawmakers in Springfield have lost touch with reality when it comes to connecting with the people they represent.

Rep. Mark Batinick (R-Plainfield) is calling on 97th House District opponent Mica Freeman to do what he insists should be a no-brainer for every lawmaker in Springfield.

The revenue Beecher Community Unit School District 200U received through local taxes increased 1 percent from fiscal year 2008 to 2017, adjusted for inflation, according to a Will County Gazette analysis of public schools data.

At Washington Junior High & Academy Prgm, a 12.7-point achievement gap persisted between black and hispanic students in 2017.

At Lincoln Elementary, a 2.5-point achievement gap persisted between black and hispanic students in 2017.

More than 84.3 percent of teachers stay at Wilson Creek Elementary School year to year, according to the 2017 three-year average in the latest Illinois schools report card.

More than 86.2 percent of teachers stay at Reed-Custer High School year to year, according to the 2017 three-year average in the latest Illinois schools report card.

The truancy rate at Homestead Elementary School stayed flat at 5 percent during the 2016-17 school year, according to a Will County Gazette analysis of the latest Illinois schools report card.

The truancy rate at Walnut Trails Elementary School fell to 1 percent during the 2016-17 school year, according to a Will County Gazette analysis of the latest Illinois schools report card.

The truancy rate at Wolfs Crossing Elementary School stayed flat at 2 percent during the 2016-17 school year, according to a Will County Gazette analysis of the latest Illinois schools report card.

More than 91 percent of teachers stay at Chaney-Monge School year to year, according to the 2017 three-year average in the latest Illinois schools report card.

The truancy rate at John J. Lukancic Middle School fell to 4 percent during the 2016-17 school year, according to a Will County Gazette analysis of the latest Illinois schools report card.

At Skoff Elementary, a 4.8-point achievement gap persisted between black and hispanic students in 2017.

The truancy rate at Pershing Elementary School stayed flat at 21 percent during the 2016-17 school year, according to a Will County Gazette analysis of the latest Illinois schools report card.

At A. Vito Martinez Middle School, a 3.9-point achievement gap persisted between black and hispanic students in 2017.

The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) has placed Taft School District 90 on its financial "recognition" list.

About 94 percent of ninth graders in 2017 were on track to graduate at a school where the four-year graduation rate was 92 percent that year, according to the latest Illinois schools report card by the Illinois State Board of Education.

Amid reports that House Speaker Michael Madigan’s $2 million in campaign gifts to Democrats was partly funded by a large public-sector union, Republican candidate Alyssia Benford said such gifts compromise the recipient’s loyalties.

At Gompers Junior High School, a 3.4-point achievement gap persisted between black and hispanic students in 2017.