Wirepoints

In Episode 34, Ted and Mark attempt to make sense of the contradicting census data after new information was released regarding Illinois’ population. Also, a look at the first GOP debates in the race for governor and more.

In Episode 33, Ted and Matt discuss the continued decay of downtown Chicago after another mass shooting on State Street just blocks from the Magnificent Mile.

Mark and Ted discuss what could be in store for Chicago as crime and temperatures begin to heat up in Episode 32. Plus, a look at the top stories of the week including President Biden visiting Chicago, residents leaving Chicago and the upcoming primary election.

In Episode 31, Ted and Mark sit down with Walter Banks and Nathan Cunneen from the American Federation for Children and the recently launched School Choice Boyz to discuss their own personal school choice stories and the message they hope to spread to all families searching for more education opportunities.

Mark sits down with Anna St. John & Adam Schulman from the Hamilton Lincoln Law Institute to discuss their legal work on free speech cases and their opinions on the legality of the University of Illinois’ Diversity, Equity and Inclusion policies and Gov. Pritzker’s gas tax signage law in Episode 30.

In Episode 29, Mark and Ted discuss the ongoing battle between free speech and censorship that is occurring in the media, online and in Illinois.

Poor student achievement and near zero accountability can be seen in districts across Illinois. Take, for example, reading proficiency for 3rd-graders in 2019 in Rockford, Decatur, Peoria, Mount Vernon, Chicago, Elgin, and Waukegan. Why are student outcomes so dismal? How can you as a parent help ensure your child receives a good education? Find out more at Wirepoints. To learn more read the full report at: https://wirepoints.org/poor-student-achievement-and-near-zero-accountability-an-indictment-of-illinois-public-education-system-wirepoints-special-report/ Watch the full video at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yyAv1HTn8Mk&t=1s @Wirepoints #education #illinois #school #shorts #shortsvideo #shortsfeed #decatur #waukegan #chicago #peoria #rockford

When Wirepoints first noticed the pre-pandemic scores of Decatur 3rd-graders, we thought they’d been misreported. The State Report Card said just 2% of Decatur’s black 3rd-graders met or exceeded reading requirements. Really, just 2%? What’s worse, we found a similar story could be told in Rockford, Waukegan, Peoria, Quincy, Chicago or any one of a hundred Illinois cities. Just 7% of Rockford’s black, 11% of Elgin’s Hispanic and 10% of Waukegan’s black 3rd-graders met reading proficiency requirements in 2019. We didn’t believe the results could be so dire, but the bad numbers are there, district after district, year after year. Who is it that’s allowing such bad outcomes to persist without intervention? Administrators? School boards? The Illinois State Board of Education? State lawmakers? And where are the parents in all this? Does anybody care? Wirepoints looked across Illinois’ education system to find out. The result was our latest report: Poor student achievement and near-zero accountability: An indictment of Illinois’ public education system. https://wirepoints.org/poor-student-achievement-and-near-zero-accountability-an-indictment-of-illinois-public-education-system-wirepoints-special-report/

In Episode 28, Ted and Mark dissect the $46.5 billion budget for 2023 recently passed by lawmakers that spends more taxpayer revenue than any other state budget in Illinois history.

Mark is joined in Episode 27 by Wirepoints’ newest writer Matt Rosenberg to break down how crime in Illinois and Chicago is a problem from the streets to the courts and even the legislature.

Mark and Ted dive into three of the biggest problems Illinois is facing in Episode 26: a wonky unemployment insurance fund, people leaving the state and the rising cost of energy around the nation and the world.

In Episode 25 Chicago native Matt Rosenberg officially joins the Wirepoints team as Senior Editor. Ted, Mark and Matt discuss what’s next for Wirepoints’ coverage and some of the issues Matt will be tackling in his new role.

Steven Malanga, George M. Yeager Fellow at the Manhattan Institute and City Journal’s senior editor, joins Ted and Mark in Episode 24 to discuss how Illinois compares to other states when it comes to issues like crime, outmigration and pension debt.

In Episode 23, Mark and Ted interview Illinois Attorney General candidate Tom DeVore on his court victory against Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s school mask mandate and why he is running for AG. This interview was taped Thursday, which was after DeVore’s appellate court win but before Friday’s order by The Illinois Supreme Court refusing a further appeal. Most recently, Gov. Pritzker’s appeal regarding the recent court rulings was rejected by the Illinois Supreme Court. See our column at https://wirepoints.org/gov-pritzker-falsely-claims-victory-after-supreme-court-ruling-then-surrenders-on-statewide-school-mask-mandate-wirepoints/. Pritzker has announced his statewide school mask mandate will end on Monday, February 28.

In Episode 22, Mark and Ted discuss rising inflation, why it’s happening and where we are headed in Illinois.

Fresh off of Gov. Pritzker’s State of the State 2023 budget address, Mark and Ted dissect the governor’s claims of a balanced budget in Episode 21.

Episode 20: Mark and Ted sit down with Tom Bevan, founder of popular news and information aggregator RealClear (realclearpolitics.com) to discuss changes in the media landscape, media censorship and more.

How did a man who initially embraced leftist Liberation Theology become a national leader in the school choice movement? In Episode 19 Mark and Ted sit down with Robert Enlow of EdChoice to discuss the importance of parental empowerment and school choice. The biggest kitchen table issue, arguably, for most Illinois families is their children’s education. CRT, sexually explicit books, COVID mandates and watered-down curriculums have increasingly infiltrated Illinois schools. Parents rights and school choice are the solution to those problems.

Mark and Ted speak with political analyst and Chicago area native Steve Cortes about the recent dramatic shift to the right by Latino voters across the country in Episode 18.

Episode 17: Mark and Ted kick off 2022 by talking about the ongoing effects of Illinois and the nation’s misguided and often counterproductive COVID policies.

Ted and Mark continue their discussion in Episode 16, Part 2, on what to expect for Illinois in 2022 including more COVID measures and mandates, parents pushing back on school board meetings and the surge of crime in Chicago.

Ted and Mark discuss some of the biggest issues facing Illinois in 2022. In Episode 15, Part 1 they cover Gov. Pritzker, the upcoming elections, and the new union power ballot initiative.

In Episode 14, Mark and Ted sit down with Frank McCormick, a history teacher from Waukegan that is fighting back against a wave of CRT and other progressive politics that are starting to infiltrate public school curriculum in Illinois and around the country.

“I continue to think that success stories from tough communities are super important,” author Matt Rosenberg told Wirepoints founder Mark Glennon and President Ted Dabrowski on Episode 13 of The Dialogue. “From what I can see, conservative values are alive and thriving in minority communities in Chicago.” Their discussion touched on several successes, particularly the rebirth of the Pullman community and the Chicago Neighborhoods Association, before Rosenberg got into the problems facing the greater City of Chicago. Among them, he described, “Our schools are utterly failing – our public schools, K-12 – and that strikes particularly hard on Black and Latino families. It’s a grave issue and it has been festering decade after decade.” Listen to more of their conversation now, as Mark and Ted sit down with Author Matt Rosenberg to discuss his new book What Next, Chicago? Notes of a Pissed-Off Native Son.

Join Wirepoints President Ted Dabrowski and Founder Mark Glennon on Episode 12 of Wirepoints’ Podcast: The Dialogue. They discuss new research showing how masks and other COVID policies are hurting children, the latest on breakthrough cases and deaths, and the emergence of the Omicron variant.