The tax makes soda sold in Chicago among the most expensive in the country.

An Illinois appeals court upheld a temporary restraining order on Cook County’s proposed sweetened beverage tax. The Cook County sheriff’s office has sent out 110 layoff notices, citing the soda tax holdup. These layoffs come on top of 300 county worker layoffs. Cook County officials claim at least 1,100 jobs will be lost if the tax does not go into effect.

An Illinois appeals court upheld a temporary restraining order on Cook County’s proposed sweetened beverage tax. Cook County officials claim 1,100 jobs will be lost if the tax does not go into effect.

Running out of ideas, the Illinois Senate takes aim at poor people to fund record-high state spending.

Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle cast the tie-breaking vote in favor of new tax on sugary and artificially sweetened beverages.

Each year, the City Council holds hearings for every city department to justify their annual appropriation. These hearings are sparsely attended and rarely touch on spending. This year, more than half of Chicago aldermen skipped budget hearings.