Get the latest news from around Illinois.
Chicago Sun-Times: With 1 million-plus Illinoisans out of work, Pritzker taps new Employment Security chief: ‘These are not normal times’
Kristin Richards has spent 18 years in public service, leading nearly two dozen state agencies and working for two governors and two state Senate presidents.
She’ll need to draw on all that experience in her latest job, taking over the beleaguered Illinois Department of Employment Security in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic that has left more than a million Illinoisans unemployed.
Capitol News Illinois: Federal court denies relaxed ballot requirements for constitutional amendment
An Illinois group trying to get a constitutional amendment on the Nov. 3 ballot is not entitled to looser regulations during the COVID-19 pandemic, a federal appeals court ruled Wednesday.
The Committee for the Illinois Democracy Amendment is advocating for a state constitutional change mandating the General Assembly to take roll call votes on legislation proposing “stronger ethical standards for Illinois public officials.”
Chicago Tribune: PPP loans were meant to help small businesses save jobs amid the pandemic. So why does official data show thousands of recipients retained zero jobs?
When Quest Food Management Services was approved for a forgivable federal loan to help it preserve jobs during the pandemic, the Lombard-based company, which supplies meals to schools throughout the Chicago area, was so grateful that it issued a news release celebrating its ability to keep more than 830 people employed.
But data released this week by the Small Business Administration detailing who received loans from the Paycheck Protection Program did not tie any jobs to Quest’s $5.3 million loan. Like tens of thousands of other loan recipients listed in the official government data, the line item for retained jobs at Quest was listed as 0.
Capitol News Illinois: As marijuana sales boom, social equity applicants sweat licensing delays
One of the few things unaffected by the coronavirus pandemic’s presence in Illinois has been recreational marijuana sales.
The $47.6 million spent on the product in June was the highest single-month amount since recreational marijuana use became legal at the beginning of the year, and sales have increased each month since February even amid strict stay-at-home orders.
Chicago Sun-Times: Chicago Teachers Union says most members don’t want to go back to school without clear safety precautions
The Chicago Teachers Union said Thursday that in a survey of its members, about 40% of the 4,800 teachers who responded believed in-classroom instruction should not resume until a COVID-19 vaccine is widely available, even if that’s a year from now.
The survey is not representative of the union’s 26,000 members, but it offers a glimpse into teachers’ anxiety as they’re faced with the prospect of returning to schools packed with students in less than two months’ time, when the pandemic is likely to still be raging on.
Chicago Tribune: Chicago police announce weekly community service for summer patrol unit as part of plan to address violence
Chicago police Superintendent David Brown announced plans Friday for a new community policing initiative that would require the department’s summer patrol unit to engage in service projects every week across Chicago’s neighborhoods.
The plan is an attempt to build trust with residents and combat escalating violence, Brown said.
Crain's Chicago Business: TIFs have a way of staying alive in this town
That honey pot is in no danger of losing its sweetness anytime soon. Last year, city TIFs produced a stunning $840 million in dedicated revenues, known as increment. Increment is likely to increase more when data for tax year 2019 is released later the month.