Altria announces plant closures in Illinois and Pennsylvania.

Division president cites Wisconsin’s favorable business environment as chief reason for move.

The divergence between professional and blue-collar work continued in September, and a shrinking workforce coincided with steady seasonal out-migration.

The artificial sweetener manufacturer will lay off 89 workers and move out of state.

The Land of Lincoln’s unfriendly climate for manufacturers has weakened Illinois cities, discouraged investment and made the state uncompetitive in the region.

Policy reforms in Indiana have led to significant jobs growth, but lawmakers in the Land of Lincoln haven’t taken note.

The August BLS jobs report shows Illinois is down 8,000 manufacturing jobs on the year, giving the state the worst manufacturing job losses in the region, and a summer workforce contraction totaling 100,000 people.

Years of job-killing policies in Illinois have pushed residents out of the state, while nearby Michigan has taken an alternate, pro-growth approach to turn it around.

Illinois stands out in the industrial Midwest for its skewed government-to-manufacturing-jobs ratio.