Get the latest news from around Illinois.
The Center Square: Survey: Illinois small businesses still face challenges during holiday shopping season
Midway through the 2023 holiday shopping season, a high percentage of Illinois small businesses continue to struggle.
The small business network Allignable’s latest survey shows 47% of small businesses in Illinois couldn’t pay their rent in full or on time in November, a slight improvement from October, but still the 4th highest in the country. Only New York (51%), Ohio (50%) and Arizona (50%) were higher.
Chicago Sun-Times: ‘The 4-years-fallacy’: CPS students struggle to graduate college in under 6 years, UChicago study says
Nidalis Burgos said she used to commute an hour and 20 minutes each way on public transportation to get from her home in Humboldt Park to Loyola University Chicago.
Burgos graduated from Lincoln Park High School in 2016. She commuted to school to save money on her education, but she withdrew from Loyola after two years.
Chicago Tribune: ‘Dealing with an alderman was uncharted territory’: Executive testifies about ex-Ald. Ed Burke’s involvement in Burger King project
Zohaib Dhanani was a 20-something executive from Texas in charge of renovating nearly two dozen Chicago-area Burger Kings when he had his first-ever encounter with an elected official.
And it wasn’t some county hack. It was Edward M. Burke.
WTTW: Share of Chicago Property Tax Revenues Claimed by TIF Funds Grew 6.3% in 2022: Report
The share of property taxes collected by the city and then claimed by Chicago’s tax increment finance districts grew approximately 6.3% in 2022, fueled in part by the reassessment of the value of every property in Chicago, according to a report by Cook County Clerk Karen Yarbrough.
Demolishing the record set in each of the past three years, $1.3 billion poured into the city’s 127 TIF funds in 2022, according to the annual report from the clerk’s office. That accounts for approximately 41% of the nearly $3.15 billion in property tax revenue banked by city officials, according to data compiled by the clerk’s office.
The Center Square: Pritzker says feds must ditch work fees for migrants
Gov. J.B. Pritzker is calling on the Biden administration to waive a fee on employment-based visas and other immigration programs in an effort to get more migrants to work.
The state has seen over 24,000 arrive over the last 15 months, which has led to the city and state spending nearly $1 billion for shelter, care and other services.
ABC 7 Chicago: Manteno Village Board votes to rezone property for Gotion EV battery factory
The Manteno Village Board voted to rezone property for a new EV battery factory.
The area will now be zoned as heavy industrial.
Daily Herald: Republicans file to take on Schneider, Ramirez; Casten, Quigley face new primary challengers
The last day of petition filing for Illinois’ March 2024 primary election saw more congressional candidates enter contests to serve the North, West or Northwest suburbs.
Oakbrook Terrace resident Mahnoor Ahmad submitted paperwork Monday to run as a Democrat for the 6th District seat held by Democrat Sean Casten of Downers Grove.