Minimum wages for Chicago and Cook County are increasing July 1. Inflation has rapidly outpaced wage growth, cutting the average Illinoisan’s pay by $2,200.
Independence Day travel will return to pre-pandemic levels this weekend, reminding Illinoisans they pay the most for gas in the Midwest thanks to high taxes.
The Chicago City Council blocked a vote to repeal the lower speed camera ticket threshold, responsible for $59 million in tickets last year. Mayor Lori Lightfoot now has until July 20 to save a policy that issued more tickets than Chicago has residents.
President Biden will call on Congress to suspend the federal gasoline and diesel tax for three months. Instead of suspending it, Gov J.B. Pritzker delayed the next motor fuel tax hike until after the election, hitting Illinois drivers with two hikes in 2023.
Former state Sen. Thomas Cullerton was sentenced to one year in federal prison for embezzlement from a no-work union job. He sponsored the Amendment 1 proposal to make government unions nearly untouchable in Illinois.
The Chicago City Council Finance Committee voted 16-15 to repeal Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s policy issuing $35 tickets to motorists going 6 mph over the speed limit. The decision now heads to the full council for a vote June 22.
Chicago aldermen were ready to repeal the lower speed camera tolerance that generated $59 million in fines last year, but the finance committee chairman called off the meeting. Mayor Lori Lightfoot will use the delay to ‘twist peoples’ arms’ and keep the threshold low and lucrative.
Nearly 80,000 students have left Chicago Public Schools and student proficiency rates have declined since the current leaders took over the Chicago Teachers Union in 2010. All that, and 55% higher costs.