Gov. J.B. Pritzker will end the statewide indoor mask mandate for most Illinoisans Feb. 28, joining the 39 other states who have already lifted COVID-19 restrictions on residents. Illinois will be the only state in the Midwest still mandating masks in schools at the state level.
Nearly a year after Illinois lawmakers requested a comprehensive audit of state unemployment fraud during the COVID-19 pandemic, IDES, the state agency in charge of issuing assistance, remains unable to tabulate how much money was lost to scammers.
In one of his first re-election political TV ads, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker takes credit for passing a balanced budget. Budget documents tell a different story, showing a deficit instead of the reported surplus.
House Bill 4424 would give every Illinois municipal government the power to impose a 3-cent per gallon tax on gas without first gaining the approval of local taxpayers at the polls.
Chicago and Cook County health officials announced plans to revoke pandemic masking and vaccination entry requirements by Feb. 28, the day Illinois’ statewide mask mandate will be lifted. Pritzker has warned Illinoisans to keep masks handy.
Couples’ wallets won’t feel the love this holiday as inflation soars and Illinois taxes kill the mood. Here’s how much extra a little romance will cost this Valentine’s Day.
Population decline has shrunk Illinois’ workforce and the relative size of the state economy. Attracting more workers from other states starts with lowering the cost of living, decreasing pension costs and debt, and improving the state’s social services.
Illinois declining population was partly responsible for lower growth housing values and Illinois slower recovery.
In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, Illinois’ economic recovery in 2021 lagged other states. A lack of in-person schooling, fewer economic opportunities and high taxes only exacerbated the ongoing population loss.
Illinois lawmakers might borrow $1 billion to extend pension buyout programs until 2026. Experts warn the efforts have been a disappointment and will do little to ease Illinois’ worst-in-the-nation pension crisis.
Illinois’ tax credit scholarship program for low-income families helped these three single moms and their children. Education during COVID-19 is failing low-income students, but the program can help if state lawmakers back bills to save and expand it.
Illinois has the nation’s third-highest number of state regulations and double the U.S. average. Regulations make life hard for Illinois’ small businesses, where most Illinois jobs are created.