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Illinois has more units of local government than any other state. That fact has some critics asking the question: how much is too much?

Illinios ranks first in the nation in the number of individual units of local government. WTTW News Explains what is going on with all of those property tax line items.

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Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart on Friday said millions more dollars must be dedicated to helping police departments recover weapons from those who’ve had their FOID cards revoked.

Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle appeared on “Chicago Tonight” on May 11, 2023. (WTTW News)
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Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle was unsparing in her criticism of Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott for continuing to bus thousands of migrants to Democratic cities such as Chicago and New York.

People dump everything, including the kitchen sink, in Cook County's forest preserves. (Courtesy of the Forest Preserve District of Cook County)

The CHARM Center, as it’s been dubbed, will open Saturday in South Holland. The free, permanent recycling hub will accept items including electronics, textiles and Styrofoam, many of which are reusable.

Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County Iris Martinez appears on “Chicago Tonight” on April 17, 2023. (WTTW News)

The employees were found to have defrauded the Paycheck Protection Program designed to help businesses stay afloat amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

W.G.N. Flag and Decorating Company employees make a Chicago flag. (WTTW News)

Many of the flags waving from civic buildings aren’t just representing Chicago, they’re made in the city’s South Shore neighborhood, by Chicago residents, who work for a company known as W.G.N.

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The first installment of property owners’ 2022 tax bills will be due approximately a month later than usual because of delays last year, officials said.

Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle speaks about the county’s cash assistance program on May 18, 2022. (WTTW News)

More than 233,000 Cook County residents applied to be part of the $42 million program, and 3,250 households won a lottery to participate in the two-year program.

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Medical debt affects 27% of Cook County residents. Of those, 42% are people of color.

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federal lawsuit brought Thursday by two Black homeowners caught up in the Cook County propoerty tax sale system on behalf of themselves and everyone else who alleges the process violates the constitution and both federal and civil rights laws.

Nikko Jhmarii Robinson, 22, spent most of his life in foster care. He is now working with a mentor and support system. (Medill))
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In Cook County, Black youth account for more than 70% of the child welfare system. Meanwhile, Black residents make up only 23% of the county’s total population. As of February 2022, there are more than 4,000 Black children in foster care in Cook County.

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The measure is designed to prevent longtime Chicago residents from being pushed out of their homes by soaring property tax bills.

(WTTW News)

If you are a homeowner in certain portions of the city, you’ve seen your bill go up quite a bit. On the predominately Latino Lower West Side, there was an increase of 46%, according to a new study.

(WTTW News)

Mustafaa Saleh, 36, was charged through a criminal information in federal court in Chicago on Tuesday with a single count of wire fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.

Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle speaks to participants of the Cook County Promise guaranteed income pilot on Nov. 16, 2022. (WTTW News)

At an enrollment event this week, Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle welcomed some of the more than 3,000 participants in the Cook County Promise guaranteed income pilot. The participants, who were selected by lottery, are set to receive their first monthly payment of $500 on Dec. 15.