Illinois’ economy is growing at an increasingly slower rate. That’s according to the University of Illinois’ monthly Flash Index. The Flash Index has been declining for the past seven months. It measured the Illinois economy at 103.7 in October, down four-tenths of a point from September’s 104.1 reading, and down 2.4 points from its post-recession…
Updated October 15, 2022 at 11:31 AM ET A beta version of President Biden’s student loan forgiveness application is now open — the first time borrowers have been able to apply for up to $20,000 in debt cancellation. The early opening is a test to help the Education Department find problems with the site before…
Illinois voters will be asked on the Nov. 8 ballot whether they want to amend the state constitution to enshrine the rights of workers to organize and collectively bargain as a constitutional right. The proposed amendment would codify the rights of private and public sector workers to negotiate wages, working conditions and more. Proponents say…
CHAMPAIGN – Local homeless shelter C-U at Home has rejected an offer from the City of Champaign Township to buy its building near downtown Champaign. Yet the Township still has its eye on buying the property to use for a new, emergency homeless shelter called Strides. On Sept. 20, the Champaign City Council, in its…
SPRINGFIELD – Illinois voters will be asked in November to decide whether the right of workers to form unions and engage in collective bargaining should be enshrined in the state constitution. The first clause of the amendment contains two sentences. The first would establish a “fundamental right to organize and to bargain collectively and to…
SPRINGFIELD – When former Gov. Bruce Rauner and the Democratic-controlled General Assembly spent more than two years at an impasse in negotiating a state budget from mid-2015 into 2017, the office of Illinois comptroller was thrust onto center stage. As the state’s chief fiscal officer, the comptroller is often referred to as manager of the…
Low unemployment has allowed for payment from trust fund balance, Pritzker says SPRINGFIELD – Gov. JB Pritzker announced a plan Tuesday to reduce a $1.8 billion Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund deficit by $450 million through an infusion of unemployment-related revenues. The trust fund is the pool of money paid into by employers to provide a…
Revenues continue to grow as professional sports maintain schedules and betting options increase SPRINGFIELD — It was a slow start for one of Illinois’ newest revenue sources. But sports betting continues to gather momentum. “I’m very happy that we have additional money, that this is on the positive side of the equation,” said Illinois State…
SPRINGFIELD – In Illinois, the role of state treasurer is that of chief investment officer. Treasurer Michael Frerichs has held that position for two full terms, winning by less than 10,000 votes in 2014 before cruising to an 18 percentage-point victory in 2018. He boasts that Illinois has topped $1.2 billion in interest gains on…
CHAMPAIGN – A business incubator focused on disadvantaged neighborhoods in Champaign is expanding its chess program. The classes started with a handful of teenagers about six weeks ago. Since then, adults have become so interested that the nonprofit, Business Elevator, is planning to start a separate, adult class. The chess coach, Eduardo Carrillo, Jr, uses…
SPRINGFIELD – The 2022 Illinois State Fair set an all-time attendance record with more than 636,700 visitors. Weekend attendance increased by 95,000 from one year ago. Attendance topped 2021 overall by more than 160,000 and 2019 by more than 127,000. There was no fair in 2020 for the first time since World War II due…
If air-conditioning your home felt expensive this summer, get ready, because turning up the heat may cost even more this winter. The rising utility bills are being driven by the surge in the price of natural gas, which generates about 40% of the United States’ electricity. The U.S. Energy Information Administration expects this surge to…
A strike that could have halted both freight and passenger trains across the country seems to have been averted. After a marathon negotiating session lasting 20 hours, the White House announced early Thursday that a tentative agreement had been reached between rail companies and the unions representing conductors and engineers. “This agreement is validation –…
CHICAGO – Some Metra trains won’t be running beginning Thursday night as the commuter rail service braces for a possible nationwide work stoppage by freight railroad workers. Those workers are set to go on strike on Friday if an agreement isn’t reached and while Metra is not involved with negotiations, some of its lines are…
CHAMPAIGN – A total of eight Illinois community colleges will soon be certified to do competency-based learning, thanks to $5 million from the U.S. Department of Labor. This means students only need to take classes on new material — instead of sitting through lessons they already know. Nancy Sutton is the vice president for academic…