Of the 651 fire and police pension funds in Illinois, more than 400 were underfunded by cities in 2016, including six funds serving cities in the Champaign area.

Erika Harold and Gary Grasso each raised just $2 per vote cast for them in the attorney general primary race, according to the Illinois Campaign for Political Reform.

Gov. Bruce Rauner raised $215 per vote cast for him in the gubernatorial primary race last week compared to Rep. Jeanne Ives' $12 for vote, according to the Illinois Campaign for Political Reform.

Danville Area Community College had the highest “on time” graduation rate among two-year schools in Greater C-U, according to the latest data compiled from U.S. Department of Education and Illinois State Comptroller tracking the performance and spending at 49 Illinois community colleges.

Armstrong-Ellis Cons SD 61 in Armstrong receives $978 per student from the state to fund pensions for public school teachers and administrators – the most in Greater C-U, according to a Wirepoints analysis of Teacher Retirement System data.

Earlville CUSD 9 in LaSalle County receives just $230 per student from the state to fund pensions for teachers and administrators, the lowest of all other districts, according to a Wirepoints analysis of Teacher Retirement System data.

Rondout SD 72 in Lake County receives $1,579 per student from the state to fund pensions for teachers and administrators, leading all other districts, according to a Wirepoints analysis of Teacher Retirement System data.

With the Republican primary just a week away, gubernatorial candidate Rep. Jeanne Ives (R-Wheaton) will hold a rally in Savoy on Wednesday.

In the last election, 55 assessors in 36 counties, including five in Greater C-U counties, were illegally placed on the ballot and elected, according to the Edgar County Watchdogs.

With an annual budget of $27,934,614 and 267 graduates in 2016, Danville Area Community College spent $104,781 per graduate in 2016, according to a Higher Education Tribune analysis of data tracking the performance and spending at 48 Illinois community colleges.

With 11 yes votes, a bill banning youth younger than 12 years old from playing on organized tackle football teams passed the House Mental Health Committee on Thursday.

Approximately 1.9 million Illinoisans – or about 15 percent of the state’s population – were on food stamp rolls in January 2017, according to a Prairie State Wire analysis of 66 Illinois welfare offices.

The welfare office in Champaign saw food stamp costs drop by 7.76 percent from January 2015 to January 2017, according to a Chambana Sun analysis of 66 Illinois welfare offices.

Welfare offices in Quincy, Blue Island and Calumet Park saw food stamp costs drop the most from January 2015 to January 2017, according to a Prairie State Wire analysis of 66 Illinois welfare offices.

An Illinoisan attending the University of Illinois will spend nearly $8,000 more per year than a Missourian at Missouri State University-Springfield, according to a Higher Education Tribune analysis of 116 four-year public universities in 10 Midwestern states based on enrollment.

The number of people receiving food stamps in one Greater C-U location dropped by 2.4 percent as President Trump entered office, according to a Chambana Sun analysis of federal data.

With an annual price tag of $15,058, the University of Illinois charged the highest in-state tuition for 2016-17, according to Higher Education Tribune.

The number of food stamp recipients fell over two years at 54 of 66 Illinois welfare offices analyzed by Prairie State Wire.

Greater C-U residents would pay $128,251,320 more in state income taxes if the state agrees to increase school funding by $7.2 billion, according to a Chambana Sun analysis of Illinois Department of Revenue data.

In a list of the 30 most populous counties in Illinois, Vermilion County ranked No. 24 for the rate of abortions performed there in 2016, according to an Illinois Department of Public Health report issued in December, which tracks abortions performed on an annual basis.