Illinois

Cook County Sheriff sends out 110 layoff notices as soda tax remains on hold

By Marianna Schmiesing
07/20/2017
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.

TAGS: Chicago, Cook County, soda tax, Toni Preckwinkle

Illinois bill would legalize sale, production of hemp

By John Kristof
07/18/2017
Senate Bill 1294 creates the Industrial Hemp Act, which would require licensing for “any person desiring to grow, process, cultivate, harvest, process, possess, sell, or purchase industrial hemp or industrial hemp related products must be licensed by the Department of Agriculture.”

TAGS: agriculture, hemp, marijuana