U.S. home sales skyrocketed during the COVID-19 pandemic – hitting a 15-year high of 6.1 million in 2021. The spike in demand, coupled with declining inventory, have put upward pressure on housing prices. Renters have not been spared, as housing has become one of the key drivers of surging U.S. inflation.

According to the Economic Policy Institute, a nonprofit think tank, a family of four – two adults and two children – can expect to pay an estimated $15,031 on housing in 2022. This amount varies across the country, however.

Illinois is one step closer to classifying 911 dispatchers as first responders.

Senate Bill 3127 would do just that.

COVID-19 cases are rising in Chicago and across Illinois — but there’s nothing to be alarmed about for now, the governor said.

Cases hit record highs in late December and early January due to the Omicron surge, but they fell sharply afterward. They’ve begun to tick back up as the more contagious BA.2 variant spreads in the Midwest — but city and state officials have said they don’t see a cause for concern yet.

Gov. JB Pritzker on Wednesday said he is not considering a return of the state’s COVID-19 indoor mask mandate at this time.

The public health commissioner in Philadelphia made news this week when she reinstated that city’s mask mandate effective next week because of a spike in cases.

I am appalled that our representatives in Springfield are continuing their fiscally irresponsible behavior.

Illinois has taken in higher-than-expected revenues that will leave the state with a projected year-end surplus. Apparently, our representatives in Springfield felt that money burning a hole in their pockets. The result? The Illinois budget includes $1.8 billion of mostly temporary tax relief.