Chris Stephens
Chris Stephens
“There’s a lot of investors nationally that I know that will not invest in Illinois. There [are] large investors pulling out of this state because they don’t want to pay for other people’s bad mistakes.”
Suburban residents risk losing homes over rising pension costs
Suburban residents risk losing homes over rising pension costs
Because the cost of generous government retirement packages has grown faster than existing government revenues can sustain, property taxes continue to climb.
Illinois falls farther behind national economic recovery in July
Illinois falls farther behind national economic recovery in July
Despite the strongest jobs report in months, Illinois’ unemployment rate remains high as the U.S. rate continues to drop.
Rural areas lose to cities amid Illinois’ historic population loss
Rural areas lose to cities amid Illinois’ historic population loss
Chicago and other urban areas in Illinois gained people compared to the rural areas, with 87 of 102 counties losing people in the 2020 U.S. Census.
Pritzker’s economic record: Weak labor market, widening racial gaps
Pritzker’s economic record: Weak labor market, widening racial gaps
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker said his reelection campaign will focus on his record of protecting people and their jobs. A close look at that record shows Illinois with worse employment prospects and greater racial disparities than the rest of the U.S.
Black workers suffer most from Illinois’ slow recovery from COVID-19
Black workers suffer most from Illinois’ slow recovery from COVID-19
Some parts of Illinois’ job markets are recovering, but not for Black Illinoisans. Many jobs are still missing from before COVID-19, including over one-third of the leisure and hospitality jobs.
Illinois home building lags virtually every other state during past decade
Illinois home building lags virtually every other state during past decade
New census data shows Illinois ranked 48th in the U.S. for new single-family home permits during the past decade.
Governor signs Hayli’s Law to protect lemonade stands from Illinois government
Governor signs Hayli’s Law to protect lemonade stands from Illinois government
When a child’s lemonade stand was targeted by government regulators, an 11-year-old entrepreneur fought back. Now Illinois law officially bars government from interfering with a child’s right to sell cold summer drinks.
Chicago’s unemployment recovery near dead last for big cities
Chicago’s unemployment recovery near dead last for big cities
A national study ranked Chicago’s unemployment recovery 172nd out of the 180 most-populous U.S. cities. Lawmakers didn’t help when they imposed $655 million in new taxes on the state’s job creators.
Illinois may pay bonuses to get workers to take jobs again
Illinois may pay bonuses to get workers to take jobs again
To combat above-average unemployment, Illinois state leaders discussed a possible back-to-work bonus. The state would pay cash to those who go off unemployment.
Illinois’ less-populated areas lead May jobs decline
Illinois’ less-populated areas lead May jobs decline
Illinois shed 7,900 jobs in May but most of those losses were outside of urban areas.
Illinois workers 26% less likely to find a job in May than other workers
Illinois workers 26% less likely to find a job in May than other workers
Illinois lost jobs in May as the state’s workers found themselves facing a tougher job hunt than workers in other states.
Bill could help Illinois businesses recovering from pandemic restrictions
Bill could help Illinois businesses recovering from pandemic restrictions
State lawmakers passed a bill allowing local governments to waive licensing fees and registration costs for businesses harmed by the COVID-19 pandemic, but it won’t spare them from state taxes.
Illinois unemployment fund faces potential $8 billion deficit
Illinois unemployment fund faces potential $8 billion deficit
Historic unemployment payouts related to the COVID-19 shutdowns left Illinois’ fund billions in the hole. State leaders did nothing to fix it, meaning there could be reduced benefits for the unemployed or higher taxes on employers trying to recover.