Illinois’ second minimum wage increase this year is part of a plan to hit $15 an hour in 2025. Small businesses face tough decisions on cutting staff or raising prices.
Peoria’s financial problems grew critical from the coronavirus, but the long-term threat of pension debt will remain even after more severe cuts are made.
Despite Gov. J.B. Pritzker touting growth in “every major region,” Illinois shed jobs in three metropolitan areas and lagged the national average in seven more.
Illinois’ uneven recovery reflects national trends, but also raises important questions about the state’s economic future ahead of a key tax hike vote.
Chicago’s $1.15 billion projected budget gap is the latest in a decades-long string of structural deficits. Making Chicago’s high taxes worse is not the solution.