Despite some growth, high unemployment remains an issue in Illinois. All 15 metropolitan areas showed higher rates of unemployment than the national average.
While Gov. J.B. Pritzker has been in office during upgrades in the state’s credit rating and reductions in some state debts, analysis shows improvements were more luck than fiscal design.
Declining demand has John Deere planning 600 layoffs, including 280 in Illinois, by the end of August. Illinois already had companies planning to cut 1,124 jobs in May, hitting janitorial services providers, collection agencies and packaging industries.
Video gaming already generated $428 million in tax revenue so far in 2024. Part of Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s new Illinois state budget relies on more revenue from video gaming machines. The tax hike started July 1.
State lawmakers are no closer to trusting Illinoisans with fireworks to celebrate Independence Day. Forty-seven other states give their residents that freedom.
The “gift room” scandal, a botched police raid and a smokestack implosion underscore how the head of Chicago’s Law Department, also known as the corporation counsel, too often lacks independence from the mayor’s office. Chicago’s corporation counsel is appointed by the mayor and can be removed at the mayor’s discretion. Experience in other major cities...