Buying cigarettes feels like a monetary punch to the gut. This feeling of worthlessness and persecution increases today to more than $11, what it will now cost a freedom-lover to buy a pack of squares in Chicago.

Sometimes when you see two people out on the dance floor, it is clear that they are partners. They move in sync, with energy and an unspoken discipline. Such is the case now in Chicago with Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle.

In less than the time it takes to make an ATM withdrawal, Cook County Bond Court judges make decisions affecting individual liberty and the public safety. This way of transacting justice exacts a dear convenience fee.

Toni Preckwinkle wants to get people out of Cook County jail. She also wants to keep them from going there in the first place. And in the cases whe...

Why does corruption seem to thrive in our wonderful state (and my native Chicago!), and what can citizens do to stop it?

More than funding or legislation, we need our officials to work toward common goals. A fair, cost-effective criminal justice system can be achieved through a cooperative effort among city and county administrators.

Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle's second budget, slated to be officially unveiled Tuesday, is expected to include layoffs of just more th...

Innovative criminal justice reforms may produce misleading results if they are not implemented using systematic research methods.

CHICAGO -- The release of more than 40 suspected illegal immigrants jailed in Cook County on felonies has added fuel to a contentious debate over publ...

Last week was the launch of Cook County's new Open Data website. The website makes an unprecedented amount of County information available to the public, all available with just a few clicks of a mouse.

The much-anticipated Cook County redesigned open data website was launched last week -- let the floodgate of citizen activism begin.

Chicago seniors have been getting the short end of the stick by Springfield, lately. They had their free rides on buses cut. Budget cuts will limit...

A Cook County sheriff's correctional officer has been charged with sexual assault of his 10-year-old step daughter based on DNA results from a rape ki...

Chicago homeowners looking to challenge their property's assessed value can now save a trip downtown by filing their appeals online, via a new system ...

Two years after Cook County launched a search engine to help people with foreclosed homes or businesses claim the profits earned in their property sal...

In the United States, one in every four people has a criminal record. Those records can be haunting. If you have something in your past that you're...

Requiring preliminary budget estimates is the first step in implementing a more transparent and accountable budget process. This allows us to better engage our stakeholders, including County residents, in the budget process.

It was July 26 in the Cook County misdemeanor court at Harrison and Kedzie, but it could have been any day. The docket's always heavy with marijuana c...

How would you fix Cook County’s $315 million budget shortfall? An interactive “Budget” section launched Tuesday on the Cook County government we...