Pizza with a purpose
Pizza with a purpose
Dimitri has found that investing in good people makes the difference in an industry where the customer experience matters.
More than 2 million Illinoisans dependent on food stamps
More than 2 million Illinoisans dependent on food stamps
The total number of Illinoisans on food stamps increased to nearly 2.15 million in June. One-sixth of Illinoisans, or 16.7 percent, are enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP. More than 100,000 people were added to the SNAP rolls in June. This is an artificially high number resulting from disaster-response programs deployed in...
Part-time America: National unemployment rate edges down to 7.3 in August
Part-time America: National unemployment rate edges down to 7.3 in August
The Bureau of Labor Statistics announced today that the national unemployment rate edged down in August to 7.3 percent, down from 7.4 percent one month earlier. Non-farm payroll employment rose by 169,000. Unemployment decreased by 193,000, leaving the total number of unemployed Americans at 11.3 million in August. But there are many Americans suffering from...
Bloomington won’t appeal court order striking unconstitutional vehicle-for-hire law
Bloomington won’t appeal court order striking unconstitutional vehicle-for-hire law
Last week, Judge Rebecca Foley of the McLean County Circuit Court issued an order striking down a Bloomington ordinance that prevented new competitors – including the Liberty Justice Center’s client, Julie Crowe – from offering vehicle-for-hire services in the city. Today, the Bloomington Pantagraph reports that the city will not appeal the judge’s decision and will not stand in Julie Crowe’s...
If ‘food deserts’ are a problem, blame Chicago politicians
If ‘food deserts’ are a problem, blame Chicago politicians
The Chicago Tribune ran a front-page story lamenting Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s failure to eliminate food deserts in Chicago. A food desert is an area in which residents allegedly lack easy access to supermarkets that offer fresh produce. The exact definition varies depending on who you ask and when – the city used to consider areas without a...
One woman fought Bloomington’s taxi cartel and won
One woman fought Bloomington’s taxi cartel and won
Should a city government be allowed to stop someone from starting a business just to protect established companies from competition? Should a city official be allowed to deny someone a license to start a business just because the official doesn’t consider the new business “desirable”? Until this week, the city of Bloomington had a law...
July unemployment: joblessness up across the state
July unemployment: joblessness up across the state
Almost all metropolitan areas across Illinois saw an increase in their unemployment rate in July. According to the latest seasonally adjusted unemployment numbers from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, eight of Illinois’ 10 Metropolitan Statistical Areas, or MSAs, saw their unemployment rates increase. The only region to experience a drop was Chicago, while the...
Craft brewers face regulatory challenges in Illinois
Craft brewers face regulatory challenges in Illinois
Much to the delight of many Chicago beer enthusiasts, the city’s craft beer market has grown in recent years. New Chicago breweries such as Revolution Brewing, Half Acre Beer Company and PipeWorks Brewing are making inroads on traditional brewers. The craft beer revolution is taking root throughout the rest of the state as well. Rolling Meadows Brewery in Springfield and Destihl Brewery in Bloomington...
Detroit: A story that must be told
Detroit: A story that must be told
Two weeks ago I took in the demise of Detroit with my own eyes. I was fortunate to be with my colleague, Detroit native Paul Kersey. As we embarked on the trip, he told me “Detroit is a story that must be told.” He was right. I’d seen the pictures and knew the history, but...
The work vs. welfare trade-off in Illinois
The work vs. welfare trade-off in Illinois
A new study by the Cato Institute in Washington, D.C., takes a state-by-state look at the value of the welfare benefits package. While no one in America receives welfare benefits from all 72 federal welfare benefits programs that provide direct cash or in-kind assistance, long-term welfare beneficiaries are more likely to receive benefits from multiple programs. Highlights...
Illinois has second-highest unemployment rate in nation
Illinois has second-highest unemployment rate in nation
Illinois has the second-highest unemployment rate in the nation, a rank the state has held for five months now, behind only the state of Nevada. Illinois’ unemployment rate rose to 9.2 percent in July, up from 9.1 percent in June, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, or BLS. Today’s BLS release highlights how poorly...
Nine states with the highest personal income tax rates lost $90.05 billion in adjusted gross income between 2000 and 2010
Nine states with the highest personal income tax rates lost $90.05 billion in adjusted gross income between 2000 and 2010
When people don’t like the direction in which their state is headed, they often vote with their feet. That’s precisely what Illinoisans did during the last decade, and they took their income with them. Illinois netted a loss of more $20 billion to other states through the out-migration of its residents from 2000-2010, according to...
To help small businesses, Illinois should make LLC fees fair
To help small businesses, Illinois should make LLC fees fair
If you want to start a small business in Illinois, there are different forms your new business can take. For example, you can have a sole proprietorship, a partnership, a corporation or a limited liability company, or LLC. The LLC is a relatively recent innovation that has advantages over the corporate form, and it can...
Burgerbot: Fast food chains can cut costs by using new technology
Burgerbot: Fast food chains can cut costs by using new technology
Recently, unions have been encouraging fast food workers to hold out for a $15 an hour wage in Chicago and other cities. Proponents have argued that fast food employees deserve more than they have been getting, and that the pay boost will improve the economy. But if they succeed, a different effect could take place: the...