The nation’s longest-serving legislative speaker, a state senator and a former Cook County commissioner were on Illinois’ too-long list of corrupt politicians.
Chicago aldermen for the first time pushed through their own budget, rejecting the mayor’s effort to impose a job-killing head tax. There are other taxes.
A federal judge ruled Cook County is illegally settling minor property tax debts by seizing the full value of properties. Illinois law still allows the practice.
More people still moved out of Illinois than moved in during 2025, but the gap was smaller than it’s been for the past 16 years, according to Atlas Van Lines.
Occupational licensing requirements present one of the steepest barriers to low-income Illinoisans starting careers in beauty services. Illinois requires anyone seeking to become a barber, cosmetologist, nail technician or hair braider to obtain a state license, essentially a permission slip to work. Unlike 45 other states, Illinois offers only one pathway to licensure for each...