Why progressive-caucus aldermen voted for the mayor's tax increases; the budget director's flawed statement about TIFs robbing schools; and why the administration carved out a special tax for school construction. Length 4.9 minutes.

Why the Loop's perimeter basks in development; commercial property windfalls masked by neighborhood investment; and some industrial businesses get a concierge while others get the boot. Length 6 minutes.

Making a smaller mistake on the lake; Rahm's obsession with international visitors; and the administration reprises the racial strategy used for the Obama library. Length 6.5 minutes.

Chicago residents' deliberate lack of voting interest; whether political parties, rather than taxpayers, should bear the cost of primary elections; and why elected officials (and their families) take electoral losses personally. Length 5.5 minutes.

Why Mayor Emanuel might, in summer 2015, have wanted teachers to strike; whether Gov. Rauner wants CPS to go bankrupt, with the mayor's complicity; and why CTU leadership accepted a contract offer that some felt its members would surely reject. Length 5.5 minutes.

The effect of the police union's contract on curbing abusive officers; what to make of aldermen's assertion that the Emanuel administration misled them; and assessing the mayor's claim of what he'd do differently. Length 5.1 minutes.

How go-along taxpayers subsidize DIY taxpayers; why tax-averse building owners like vacancies; and paying for your share in Illinois' 7,000 units of government. Length 5.4 minutes.

Classroom chaos created by the 20th-day student count; the re-imagined Dyett High School as part of the anti-charter backlash; and whether Paul Vallas can take credit for bracing CPS finances. Length 5.9 minutes.

Whether Speaker Madigan has "seen the light" on school funding or simply continues to strategize; the "losing his mind" phase of the Daley administration; and the different pension holidays won by CPS. Length 6.2 minutes.

The validity--and relevance--of the DePaul/Marriott TIF subsidy origin story; prudent life spans for TIF districts; and the questionable benefits of having financial markets in Chicago. Length 5.8 minutes.