Pritzker issues 38th COVID-19 emergency order

By Dylan Sharkey

01/09/2023

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker extended his COVID-19 emergency powers into his second term. Illinois is 1 of only 9 states still claiming disaster status as a result of COVID-19.

TAGS: COVID-19, JB Pritzker

Illinois 1 of 10 states still under covid emergency powers

By Dylan Sharkey

12/14/2022

Gov. J.B. Pritzker issued his 37th COVID-19 disaster proclamation. Illinois is one of only 10 states living under an emergency order.

TAGS: COVID-19, JB Pritzker

Small businesses led Illinois’ COVID-19 jobs recovery

By Bryce Hill

11/23/2022

Small Business Saturday offers a reason to be extra thankful: businesses with fewer than 20 employees were the only ones to grow payrolls since COVID-19 hit.

TAGS: COVID-19, small business

Pritzker extends COVID emergency powers for 33rd time

By Dylan Sharkey

08/23/2022

Gov. J.B. Pritzker is declaring Illinois a disaster for the 33rd time since the pandemic began, meaning he’s given himself emergency powers for nearly 70% of his term.

TAGS: COVID-19, emergency powers, JB Pritzker

10 Illinois metro areas gain jobs, only 1 recovers from pandemic

By Bryce Hill

08/02/2022

Only Bloomington has recouped early 2020 job losses, which is bad news for Illinois’ lagging economy as recession fears increase.

TAGS: Bloomington, COVID-19, economic recovery, jobs, unemployment

Amendment 1 would give teachers unions more power over students’ health

08/01/2022

The number of students enrolling in Chicago Public Schools continues to fall as teachers’ unions impose COVID-19 policies and infringe on parents’ choices about their childrens’ health and safety. A ballot proposal would make that worse.

TAGS: Amendment 1, Chicago, COVID-19, CTU: Chicago Teachers Union, government unions, mask mandate, parenting, public schools, teachers union

Illinois still missing 1 in 7 jobs lost during pandemic

By Bryce Hill

08/01/2022

With the highest unemployment rate in the Midwest and 117,000 jobs still missing, Illinois’ labor market is among the least recovered in the region.

TAGS: coronavirus, COVID-19, economic recovery, employment, job creation, jobs

Pritzker gives himself emergency COVID powers for 32nd time

By Dylan Sharkey

07/25/2022

Gov. J.B. Pritzker declared Illinois a disaster zone for the 32nd time. When this declaration ends, he will have given himself emergency powers for 895 days – more than two-thirds of his term.

TAGS: COVID-19, emergency powers, JB Pritzker

Audit reveals Illinois lost nearly $2 billion to COVID-19 unemployment fraud

By Patrick Andriesen

06/17/2022

A state audit found the Illinois Department of Employment Security lost to fraud more than half of the $3.6 billion in federal COVID-19 dollars earmarked for out-of-work Illinoisans. The full scope of the unemployment fraud remains unknown.

TAGS: COVID-19, fraud, IDES: Illinois Department of Employment Security

8 Illinois metro areas fail to add jobs in April; just 1 recovers from pandemic

06/17/2022

Illinois’ overall job numbers continue to rise, but the recovery is spotty. Over half of the metropolitan areas failed to add jobs in April.

TAGS: coronavirus, COVID-19, employment, job creation, jobs

Fixing Illinois pension crisis by amending nation’s most-restrictive pension law is legal, effective

Illinois is home to one of the worst pension crises in the country.1 At 39% funded, according to the nonpartisan Pew Charitable Trusts, Illinois has the worst pension funding ratio of any state.2 By contrast, neighboring Wisconsin’s pension system is 103% funded.3 In fiscal year 2022, Illinois’ total general funds pension costs, including pension bond...

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Fixing Illinois pension crisis by amending nation’s most-restrictive pension law is legal, effective

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Cathy Stuehmeier

Process for unionizing non-state workers raises red flags

CBS Chicago: Illinois’ highest-paid superintendent receives $400K per year to oversee 1,200 students