Illinois state lawmakers resisted efforts to cut tax credit scholarships in Illinois, instead extending the program. Now low-income and minority students need them to make the scholarships permanent so they can get the educations that best fit their needs.
“Private education has positively impacted my children in so many ways. They’ve built friendships. They attend Mass together as a school community weekly and on holy days.”
Guest: Amy Korte
A WalletHub study found Illinois had more identity theft per person than anywhere else in the nation. It overall ranked as the 6th most vulnerable state to identity theft and fraud.
Illinois courts’ long history of being friendly to plaintiffs and personal injury attorneys showed up again in a reform group’s annual ranking. Cook County, St. Clair County and Madison County together moved up in the rankings of “judicial hellholes.”
High taxes on marijuana are believed to help illegal dealers and violence thrive, so San Francisco is holding off on new city pot taxes to help legal dispensaries compete. Illinois and Chicago, where taxes top 40%, may want to pay attention.
Property taxes are the real thieves attacking the house used in the holiday movie ‘Home Alone.’ The house is available for a one-night stay this holiday, but not all taxes are included.
Chicago’s mayor wanted police either vaccinated against COVID-19 or regularly tested, but the pushback from their union has received two recent legal advances.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed a bill to consolidate local police and firefighter pensions from across downstate Illinois, but beneficiaries are suing because the state is notorious for poor pension management.
Legal marijuana has seen nine consecutive months tally at least $100 million in Illinois sales. The state is on pace to double the previous year and exceed $1.5 billion in sales. Still, Illinois’ illegal market churns out higher sales and violence.
Illinois is ending its debit card option and going to paper checks for unemployment benefits, unless recipients arrange for direct deposit. The state has yet to address a $5.8 billion deficit in the unemployment fund.
New COVID-19 cases have surged across Illinois, leading some state leaders to question why the only state east of the Mississippi with a universal mask mandate is seeing worse case rates than those without a mandate.
The pandemic caused the largest and shortest economic contraction in U.S. history. But as other states recovered, Illinois’ economy remained $17 billion below the pre-pandemic trend through the first half of 2021.