Grace Hauck

🧵Escapes, fires, rebellions, deaths — there are thousands of these "extraordinary or unusual" incidents happening inside Illinois county jails every year. But a state monitoring unit only reviews a handful of them and doesn’t track trends. ↓

Grace Hauck reposted

New from @drewjayadams.bsky.social and me: a candidate for Chicago mayor accidentally made registered voters' personal data available on his campaign website, effectively doxing 1.5 million city voters. The issue has since been fixed — after we informed the campaign. (🧵)

illinoisanswers.orgEvanston Faces $20M Discrepancy in Motor Fuel Tax Fund After Years of State WarningsThe Illinois Department of Transportation has repeatedly expressed concerns about Evanston’s motor fuel tax expenditures. Now, a city council member wants to improve competition for contracts and comp...

🧵 Evanston has been facing questions about its Motor Fuel Tax fund. Last night, city council passed a resolution requiring the city to advertise roadway projects that are competitively bid on the Illinois Department of Transportation website. illinoisanswers.org/2026/10/12/e...

Ald. Clare Kelly (1st Ward) sponsored the resolution: "This resolution will strengthen accountability and ensure that our city follows state code, which includes the required competitive bidding. I expect us to see an improvement in our contracts and adherence to the law."

cityofevanston.civicweb.netcityofevanston.civicweb.net

See the full text of the resolution here: cityofevanston.civicweb.net/document/468...

illinoisanswers.orgMayoral Candidate’s Website Exposed Voting History of 1.5 Million Chicago ResidentsLongtime Chicago politician George Cardenas’ campaign website, apparently written with heavy AI use, left citywide voter roll data exposed.

Wild story from @alexnitkin.bsky.social and @drewjayadams.bsky.social about how longtime Chicago politician George Cardenas’ campaign website (apparently written with heavy AI use) left citywide voter roll data available for anyone to download... illinoisanswers.org/2026/10/27/m...

Grace Hauck reposted

Geoffrey Cubbage

@geoffreycubbage.bsky.social

Mayor's budget proposal is out. I broke down some super top-level, first-few-hours takeaways for y'all. Gonna get waaaaay deeper into this stuff in the coming days. chicagobudget.bettergov.org/2027/budget-...

Grace Hauck reposted

New: the City Council could be on the verge of a huge step in the years-long fight for Chicago to adopt a comprehensive apartment registry. One reason that matters: many of the buildings that rack up the most buildings violations have unclear owners, via @drewjayadams.bsky.social adams & me:

In May, an IDOT employee sent Evanston officials an urgent email: She directed the city to pause transfers out of its motor fuel tax fund, saying the city may owe the account "millions," with "deficiencies" through 2024 over $14 million. @illinoisanswers.bsky.social

Grace Hauck reposted

Tax-increment financing is opaque and complicated, arguably by design. So last year, we had an idea: what if we could show the actual impact of TIFs on all of our tax bills? Today, we've published the result: 🧵

illinoisanswers.orgA ‘Backdoor Loophole’ is Pushing Up Property Taxes With Little AccountabilityAn obscure financing tool is quietly raising property taxes to pay for a growing range of spending, an Illinois Answers Project and Mansueto Institute analysis found.

Want to see how TIFs increase your property taxes? @alexnitkin.bsky.social @illinoisanswers.bsky.social and @miurbanchicago.bsky.social built a cool new tool for that! illinoisanswers.org/2026/10/01/t...

Grace Hauck reposted

illinoisanswers.orgChildcare Access Is Strained in Illinois. The State’s Slow Background Check System Continues to Threaten ItChronic understaffing at DCFS and an unimplemented state law are leaving some childcare centers short-staffed, turning away kids and in some cases risking their funding.

In which DCFS appears only to move in response to intense public pressure (a viral video) and can't provide basic historic data about its operations (wait time fluctuations for background checks.) By @meredithnewman.bsky.social illinoisanswers.org/2026/09/17/c...

Grace Hauck reposted

illinoisanswers.orgLights, Camera, Tax Creditsllinois lawmakers give big boost to movie industry while academics claim the Hollywood giveaway is a bad deal for taxpayers

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.

Grace Hauck reposted

capitolnewsillinois.comLights, camera, tax credits!Illinois expanded its film tax credits to attract productions, but critics question whether taxpayers get a good return.

Our look at the buyers, sellers and recipients of Illinois' rapidly expanding film income tax credit program. Among those who got a tax break: Jennifer Pritzker, Citadel Securities CEO Peng Zhao, Billy Corgan @capitolnewsil.bsky.social capitolnewsillinois.com/news/lights-...

Grace Hauck reposted

Andrew Adams

@drewjayadams.bsky.social

Hey election nerds, I have something for you. With election season in swing, I've spent the past few months building a free tool to help you more easily track money moving in Illinois state and local races in real time with email and push alerts within minutes of reports being posted.

illinoisanswers.orgCook County Board Defers Resolution Calling for Independent Review of State’s Largest JailAt least 85 people died while detained in Cook County Jail between 2019 and 2025. That’s more than a third of all jail-related deaths statewide during that time.

22 Sept

“It became clear in the closed session that we were not going to garner enough votes to pass it,” said Cook County Commissioner Tara Stamps. @illinoisanswers.bsky.social illinoisanswers.org/2026/09/22/c...

Grace Hauck reposted

Christine Hatfield

@christine.21st.show

22 Sept

A new investigation from @illinoisanswers.bsky.social documents tens of thousands of incidents in county jails, from fires to escape attempts and deaths. Today on @21st.show we talked with reporters @gracehauck.bsky.social and @drewjayadams.bsky.social about it.

youtube.comInvestigation uncovers disturbing conditions in Illinois county jailsYouTube video by Illinois Public Media

projects.illinoisanswers.orgInside Illinois Jails | Illinois Answers ProjectThe largest known database of conditions in Illinois county jails: inspections, incidents and deaths in custody across all 102 counties.

20 Sept

Do you live in Illinois? @illinoisanswers.bsky.social has a tool for you! We partnered with @miurbanchicago.bsky.social to turn tens of thousands of jail records into a free, easy-to-use dashboard. Look up your county to see key trends here:

Grace Hauck reposted

BGA union

@bgaunion.bsky.social

@meredithnewman.bsky.social

First day of bargaining 💪 Today, we're starting negotiations to make sure that we have a fair deal in our next contract.

Grace Hauck reposted

Meredith Newman

illinoisanswers.orgChildcare access is strained in Illinois. The state’s slow background check system continues to threaten itChronic understaffing at DCFS and an unimplemented state law are leaving some childcare centers short-staffed, turning away kids and in some cases risking their funding.

My latest >>>> illinoisanswers.org/2026/09/17/c...

Illinois Answers Project@illinoisanswers.bsky.social

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.

Grace Hauck reposted

Replying to @illinoisanswers.bsky.social

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. @meredithnewman.bsky.social reports on the state’s background-check backlog's affect on childcare providers across Illinois:

Grace Hauck reposted

blockclubchicago.org‘City’s Worst Landowner’ Ran Shell Company Scheme To Pay For Maserati, Luxury Condo: AttorneysA new complaint filed in federal bankruptcy court claims Suzie B. Wilson and her sister, Swedlana Dass, used more than 40 shell companies to make millions in a real estate scheme first uncovered by Il...

blockclubchicago.org/2026/09/17/c... Good follow up by @minabloom.bsky.social on the business empire's inner workings and the alleged shell games being played by Chicago super debtor Suzie B. Wilson

illinoisanswers.orgWinnebago County guards fire pepperballs more than any other Illinois jail — often on people with mental illnessesUse of pepperball guns in Illinois jails is not the norm. Of the 90 jails, 11 reported using them in recent years, and 9 others have them on hand. But one, the state’s second-largest county jail, stan...

🧵Those pepperball guns you've seen ICE agents firing in the Chicago area? They're also used inside Illinois county jails. An @illinoisanswers.bsky.social investigation found that Winnebago County Jail stands out for the most incidents — and a concerning pattern.

View full thread

In Winnebago County Jail, reports show officers fired at a single person inside a cell dozens of times, directly hitting them in at least 13 incidents. Records say many of those detainees have a mental illness, were in a mental-health unit or were awaiting transfer to IDHS.

Experts who reviewed records of Winnebago County incidents expressed concerns about the practice, calling it "shocking," "very questionable" and "outlier behavior." The county, meanwhile, said officers rarely use the devices. Read more.

At least 20 Illinois county jails have a pepperball launcher, and 11 of them have fired one in recent years.

Pepperballs have caused bruises, welts, coughing, irritated eyes, difficulty breathing. In Jefferson County, one detainee had to go to a hospital. In Sangamon County, a sergeant fired 30-40 rounds into a cell, sickening a fellow officer to the point that they had to go home.

illinoisanswers.orgDozens of deaths in Illinois jails missing from state recordsAn Illinois Answers Project analysis revealed that 63 people who died in jails were missing from state data on in-custody fatalities. Now the state is auditing its records.

🧵 Cady Moore. Ronnie Bell. Christian Littrell. Sara Sikorski. Justin Main. Dennis Barrett. Dozens of people died in Illinois jails — and were never even counted in state data.

View full thread

Reporters asked the agency in charge of tracking deaths about these missing cases. Now, the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority (ICJIA) said it has audited its records and "strengthened its procedures."

But many families are still searching for answers. "I never got anything from the jail. No written report. No video tapes. No nothing," said Anita Babcock, whose daughter Tammy Wolf died in Vermilion County Jail. "So all these years I’ve had questions."

🧵 Cady Moore. Ronnie Bell. Christian Littrell. Sara Sikorski. Justin Main. Dennis Barrett. Dozens of people died in Illinois jails — and were never even counted in state data.

View full thread

How were so many deaths missed? What does that mean for families? And what happens when the state doesn’t have accurate data on deaths in custody? Many families have sued, alleging negligence in their loved one's death.

At least 18 people were taken across state or county lines before they were officially pronounced dead, including four to Missouri and one to Indiana.

🧵 Cady Moore. Ronnie Bell. Christian Littrell. Sara Sikorski. Justin Main. Dennis Barrett. Dozens of people died in Illinois jails — and were never even counted in state data.

Statewide, 63 people who died in jails from 2019 to 2025 weren't captured in Illinois data on in-custody deaths. That's a quarter of all jail deaths over that time, @illinoisanswers.bsky.social found.

They include mothers, fathers, musicians, cooks, welders, painters and veterans of the Army, Navy and Marine Corps. Their hobbies included riding dirt bikes, scuba diving, piloting airplanes, playing basketball and cheering for the Cubs, Cardinals or Cowboys.

So @illinoisanswers.bsky.social stepped in to investigate what’s happening inside Illinois jails. We revealed dozens of jail deaths missing from state data, repeat inspection failures year after year, officers firing pepperballs directly into cells, and more. ↓

projects.illinoisanswers.orgEscapes. Fires. Rebellions. Trove of records reveals chaos inside Illinois county jails.Illinois county jails report thousands of “extraordinary or unusual” incidents every year, but the state doesn’t keep track. So we stepped in to shed light on what’s happening inside.

We also built an interactive dashboard so that you can see what’s going on in your own county. Check out the series here: projects.illinoisanswers.org/inside-illin...

Grace Hauck reposted

Crystal Paul

@cplhouse.bsky.social

@binghuihuang.bsky.social

Horrific findings and a tremendous journalistic effort by the team at Illinois Answers. @gracehauck.bsky.social @meredithnewman.bsky.social & Andrew Adams poured through thousands of pages of reports to produce this harrowing record. projects.illinoisanswers.org/inside-illin...

Grace Hauck reposted

binghuihuang.bsky.social

2 Sept

“You couldn’t believe how people were living,” Chinatown investor’s real estate empire collapse reveals slew of financial and safety problems illinoisanswers.org/2026/09/02/c...

illinoisanswers.orgRoaches, Flooding, Unpaid Loans: Dozens of Chinatown Residents, Businesses Face Uncertainty as Landlord’s Empire CrumblesNearly 70 properties are in receivership after Jiazhao ‘Frank’ Chen defaulted on at least $119 million in real estate loans. A proposed landlord registry could help the city track irresponsible proper...

2 Sept

Roaches. Flooding. Unpaid Loans. Dozens of Chinatown residents and businesses are facing uncertainty as this landlord’s empire crumbles. story by @binghuihuang.bsky.social and Yonggang Xiao illinoisanswers.org/2026/09/02/c...

Grace Hauck reposted

illinoisanswers.orgChicago Officials Raised Concerns About South Chicago Chapel Nearly a Year Before Discovery of 56 Decomposing Bodies, Records ShowA City Council member’s office complained to city officials twice in one week that residents were griping about odors from the business.

27 Aug

Residents complained to the city twice about smells from a funeral home where, a year later, they found 50+ decomped bodies. The city, after those earlier complaints: Oh it's just burning trash and an empty gurney outside, nothing to see here illinoisanswers.org/2026/08/27/c...

Grace Hauck reposted

28 Aug

56 unidentified, decomposing bodies were found improperly stored at a South Chicago funeral home earlier this month. But records show the city knew about possible problems at the home long before it was raided on Aug. 6.

Grace Hauck reposted

27 Aug

My latest with @maggiedough.bsky.social about the gruesome scene at South Chicago Chapel funeral home and what Chicago officials knew nearly an entire year ago illinoisanswers.org/2026/08/27/c...

Grace Hauck reposted

illinoisanswers.orgData Centers Near O’Hare Win Nearly $100M in Local Tax Breaks, Leaving Suburban Homeowners to Cover the GapNorthwest suburban data centers had nearly $2 billion knocked off their taxable property values, an analysis shows.

23 Aug

Homeowners in Northlake paying an average $2,000 a year to subsidize data centers. The data center people say it's necessary for them to stay in business. And their pitch is essentially "would be a shame if some other less desirable business moved in." illinoisanswers.org/2026/08/23/d...

Grace Hauck reposted

24 Aug

We found county reductions knocked ~$2B off the taxable value of ORD-area data centers. 2 main drivers: 💸 Incentives pushed by mayors who feared the DCs would otherwise go elsewhere 💸 Appeals from DC companies arguing the buildings should be taxed like like plain ol' warehouses

Illinois Answers Project@illinoisanswers.bsky.social

The average #Northlake homeowner could save more than $2,000 a year if #datacenters paid property taxes based on higher assessments.

24 Aug

Data centers near O’Hare won nearly $100M in local tax breaks. Suburban homeowners pay for it. @alexnitkin.bsky.social @adquig.bsky.social illinoisanswers.org/2026/08/23/d...

Grace Hauck reposted

capitolnewsillinois.comJudge orders DCFS director to answer for repeated failures to release public documents in child death caseA judge ordered DCFS Director Heidi Mueller to appear in court after the agency repeatedly failed to release records.

11 Aug

IL Department of Children and Family Services: -Ignored a lawsuit -Failed to appear in court when the lawsuit was called for a hearing -Ignored an order to produce records -When asked to account for its noncompliance, also failed to appear in court

Capitol News Illinois@capitolnewsil.bsky.social

Capitol News Illinois sued the state child protection agency after it denied release of caseworker personnel records. @pqhancock.bsky.social reports. buff.ly/OAininu

Grace Hauck reposted

illinoisanswers.orgFirms Linked to 2 Men Convicted of Public Corruption Have Gotten Campaign Business from JB Pritzker and the CTUThe firms tied to former Ald. Isaac "Ike" Carothers and former Blagojevich administration official Bamani Obadele have gotten campaign business from Gov. JB Pritzker and in the hotly contested race fo...

10 Aug

Gov Pritzker, CTU campaigns spent more than $1.5 million with firms linked to two public corruption felons - one a former DCFS official and one a former alderman #chicago

Grace Hauck reposted

chicago.suntimes.comFirms linked to 2 men convicted of corruption have gotten campaign business from JB Pritzker and the CTUThe firms tied to former Ald. Isaac "Ike" Carothers and former Blagojevich administration official Bamani Obadele have gotten campaign business from Gov. JB Pritzker and in the hotly contested race fo...

10 Aug

chicago.suntimes.com/the-watchdog... good political reporting on the school board elections and the crooks getting paid by @drewjayadams.bsky.social @peternickeas.bsky.social

Grace Hauck reposted

illinoisanswers.orgChicago Police Failed to Place Troubled Cop Under Strict Supervision Before He Fatally Shot PartnerCarlos Baker was referred to a program that subjects officers to intense oversight. But Baker wasn’t enrolled before he shot Officer Krystal Rivera because a supervisor didn’t respond to an email.

17 July

Sixteen days before CPD Officer Krystal Rivera was killed by her partner last year, Carlos Baker was referred to a program designed to help troubled officers. He was not enrolled because an email went unanswered. Illinois Answers’ latest investigation with @chicago.suntimes.com:

Grace Hauck reposted