Unlike the dynamic four years ago, a majority of the Illinois House races – 56 percent – will be competitive contests pitting major party candidates during the Nov. 6 midterm election.

An annual Illinois assessment of student, school and school district performance labels more than 77 percent of K-12 schools as exemplary or commendable, even though students' academic test results appear static and sub-par in many instances

The number of Illinois House races being contested by major-party candidates on Nov. 6 is up 13.6 percent over the last midterm election in 2014, according to a Prairie State Wire analysis.

Head coaches of Northern Illinois University women’s teams earn an average of $84,831 annually – the seventh highest average salary in the state – according to a DeKalb Times analysis of federal education data.

Kishwaukee College is among two-year universities in Illinois that reported borrowers defaulting on school loans they started repaying in 2014, according to a Higher Education Tribune analysis of federal data.

Northern Illinois University football brought in $71,108 per athlete in revenue in 2016, making it the third highest-grossing football program in the state that year, according to a DeKalb Times analysis of U.S. Department of Education data.

Northern Illinois University's football program earns an average of $71,108 per player annually – the 116th highest rate in the nation – according to a DeKalb Times analysis of federal education data.

Head coaches of Northern Illinois University's men’s teams earn an average of $195,957 annually – the sixth highest average salary in the state – according to a DeKalb Times analysis of federal education data.

DeKalb County posted the eighth lowest home affordability index in Illinois, according to an analysis of 432 counties nationwide by ATTOM Data Solutions in the second quarter.

Illinois House Speaker and Democrat Party Chief Michael Madigan (D-Chicago) gave $750 to Dixon State House candidate Amy Davis between July 15 and Aug. 15, state filings show.

Head coaches of Northern Illinois University's men’s teams earn an average of $195,957 annually – the 150th highest average salary in the nation – according to a DeKalb Times analysis of federal education data

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Northern Illinois University are among four-year universities in Illinois that reported borrowers defaulting on school loans they started repaying in 2014, according to a Higher Education Tribune analysis of federal data.

West Suburban Nursing, a 259-bed skilled care facility in Bloomingdale, was cited by the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) for violations of the Nursing Home Care Act in the second quarter of 2018.

Though Democrat Lauren Underwood surged in fundraising in Illinois’ 14th Congressional District during the second quarter, Republican incumbent Randy Hultgren’s campaign war chest surpasses his opponent’s by more than $360,000, the Illinois Campaign for Political Reform (ICPR) reports.

Among Illinois’ most populous urban centers, the St. Louis Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includes Metro East, posted the highest percentage of mortgages that owe at least 25 percent more on their loans than their property is worth, according to a home equity analysis by ATTOM Data Solutions.

Three colleges in Chicago had the highest default rates among private colleges in Illinois for borrowers who started repaying student loans in 2014 and defaulted on those loans by the end of 2016, according to a Higher Education Tribune analysis.

Among Illinois counties, Piatt, Moultrie and Monroe had the highest percentage of property owners with mortgages who have at least 50 percent equity in their homes, according to an analysis by ATTOM Data Solutions looking at home equity at the end of the first quarter.

In Illinois, owners of more than 393,000 properties with mortgages have at least 50 percent equity in their homes, according to an analysis by ATTOM Data Solutions looking at home equity at the end of the first quarter.

State Sen. Tim Bivins was one of just 20 Illinois House and Senate members to oppose a “smoke and mirrors” budget plan that isn’t really balanced, according to the Illinois Policy Institute.