Lightfoot trying to save Chicago youngsters from kids’ meal soda pop
Lightfoot trying to save Chicago youngsters from kids’ meal soda pop
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot wants to require Chicago restaurants to first offer a selection of government-approved healthy drink options for kids’ meals. Restaurants would be barred from advertising sugary beverage options.
By Patrick Andriesen
Illinois pension debt is little less worse, but still worst in U.S.
Illinois pension debt is little less worse, but still worst in U.S.
Illinois’ worst-in-the-nation pension debt shrank slightly after investments more than tripled predictions, thanks partly to COVID-19 stimulus. Experts caution 1 year cannot undo decades of overpromising and underfunding.
By Patrick Andriesen
Illinois gains 19,500 jobs in November, but still lags recovery
Illinois gains 19,500 jobs in November, but still lags recovery
November job gains in Illinois were below the COVID-19 recovery pace set earlier in the year. They continued to lag the national recovery.
By Jon Josko
Al Marogil
Al Marogil
"Without changing the current system, we will continue to drive people out of Illinois and stifle economic growth."
Chicago’s test to hand $500 a month to low-income families stalls
Chicago’s test to hand $500 a month to low-income families stalls
Quick relief was promised for select needy families in Chicago, but it now looks like it will be summer before any of the $500-a-month checks are issued. Mayor Lori Lightfoot said the delay is to prevent abuse.
By Patrick Andriesen
Pritzker emergency No. 23 comes as Colorado drops masks
Pritzker emergency No. 23 comes as Colorado drops masks
Illinois is far from finished with Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s statewide COVID-19 mandates, but another Democratic governor just said the emergency is over and the state shouldn’t be making people wear masks anymore.
By Dylan Sharkey
Illinois teachers sue Pritzker over COVID-19 school mandates
Illinois teachers sue Pritzker over COVID-19 school mandates
A class-action lawsuit filed by 88 Illinois teachers seeks to block Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s COVID-19 mandates on shots, tests and vaccinations for school personnel.
By Patrick Andriesen
Chicago city leader with ties to Daley indicted for embezzlement
Chicago city leader with ties to Daley indicted for embezzlement
A Chicago city administrator responsible for accountability faces charges of falsifying bank loans, lying to regulators and taking a $130,000 personal loan he never repaid while on the bank’s board.
By Patrick Andriesen
‘Home Alone’ in real life could land you in an Illinois jail
‘Home Alone’ in real life could land you in an Illinois jail
Illinois sees leaving a child younger than 14 ‘Home Alone’ as a crime, one that state employees have vigorously applied.
By Dylan Sharkey
Holiday scratch-offs are no gift to Illinois schools
Holiday scratch-offs are no gift to Illinois schools
Some states promote holiday scratchers as a way to help schools, but in Illinois that claim would land you on the naughty list.
By Dylan Sharkey
Sales taxes are holiday gift that keeps on taking
Sales taxes are holiday gift that keeps on taking
Illinois imposes some of the nation’s highest sales taxes on holiday shoppers, and this year online shopping will no longer offer a break.
By Dylan Sharkey
Springfield’s Bad Santas can’t break their sin tax habits
Springfield’s Bad Santas can’t break their sin tax habits
Taxing people’s bad habits is a tough way to raise reliable revenue, but Illinois keeps trying to do just that.
By Dylan Sharkey
Illinois State Police audit shows $2.3 million went missing
Illinois State Police audit shows $2.3 million went missing
Illinois State Police are facing audits showing $2.3 million is missing as lawmakers seek answers about old computers and late firearms IDs. Also, lawsuits and an indictment outline theft and sex harassment claims at the agency managing troopers.
By Dylan Sharkey