Illinois lawmakers team up with rental car companies seeking to squeeze out competitors
Illinois lawmakers team up with rental car companies seeking to squeeze out competitors
Lawmakers in Springfield are joining forces with Hertz and Enterprise in efforts to punish companies offering innovative alternatives to conventional car rental options.
By Eddie Damstra
Amid heavy ticketing, challenge to Chicago food truck regulations heads to Illinois Supreme Court
Amid heavy ticketing, challenge to Chicago food truck regulations heads to Illinois Supreme Court
Chicago’s regulatory roadblocks have derailed opportunity for the city’s food truck entrepreneurs. As a challenge to those restrictions reaches Illinois’ high court, the outcome of the case could be felt statewide.
By Vincent Caruso
Illinois lawmakers pass bill legalizing industrial hemp
Illinois lawmakers pass bill legalizing industrial hemp
While state law currently allows for the cultivation of hemp to be overseen by some government bodies, the Industrial Hemp Act would make legal the commercial production of hemp.
By Vincent Caruso
Shrinking communities bode ill for Illinois’ economy
Shrinking communities bode ill for Illinois’ economy
More than three-quarters Illinois communities lost population over the year, and nearly all of the state’s major metro areas are lagging the nation on key economic indicators.
By Orphe Divounguy, Bryce Hill
Illinois metro areas add 3,300 jobs in April
Illinois metro areas add 3,300 jobs in April
New data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics show eight of Illinois’ 13 metro areas gained jobs over the month.
By Bryce Hill
Illinois’ southernmost counties see population losses in 2017
Illinois’ southernmost counties see population losses in 2017
As part of Illinois’ statewide population drop in 2017, southern Illinois counties saw a continuation of population losses they’ve been seeing for years.
New census data tell the tale of Quad Cities
New census data tell the tale of Quad Cities
If current population trends hold, Rock Island, Illinois, will take a back seat to Bettendorf, Iowa, within five years.
By Austin Berg
In a shrinking state, Census sheds light on struggling cities
In a shrinking state, Census sheds light on struggling cities
When people can’t find good job opportunities in Illinois, they are too often forced to leave. And to take their place, too few have enough confidence in the state to move in from elsewhere and build a future.
By Austin Berg
Chicago was the only major U.S. city to lose population from 2016 to 2017
Chicago was the only major U.S. city to lose population from 2016 to 2017
In a shrinking state, half of Illinois’ largest cities have shed population since 2010.
By Austin Berg
Trio of occupational licensing bills en route to governor’s desk
Trio of occupational licensing bills en route to governor’s desk
A series of occupational licensing reform bills making their way out of the General Assembly would help more Illinoisans enter the workforce.
By Vincent Caruso
Illinois added 4,700 jobs in April, but workforce continues to shrink
Illinois added 4,700 jobs in April, but workforce continues to shrink
The state also saw a drop in the unemployment rate over the month, fueled by employment gains and labor force decline.
By Bryce Hill
Rich Roth
Rich Roth
“I’ve lived in Clinton since I was two years old. “The moving company is coming June 1. I sold my business as of this morning. “This is where the state loses. My income is fairly healthy. My wife’s income is fairly healthy. And we’re taking our two kids and we’re gone. “I built my house...
Forgotten Illinois Harvey: Fixing a broken city in a broken state
Forgotten Illinois Harvey: Fixing a broken city in a broken state
Most days in Harvey, a suburb 20 miles south of Chicago, are quiet. Thousands of people and numerous businesses have left the city over the years, and the void left in their wake is plain to see. But on a cold and wet April 14, dozens of longtime residents still fighting for what’s left packed...
Carbondale could lead on easing food truck regulations
Carbondale could lead on easing food truck regulations
Though some of Illinois’ larger municipalities such as Chicago and Evanston have been overly restrictive in regulating food trucks, the Carbondale City Council has debated loosening them for its city, soliciting mixed opinions.