Illinois unemployment numbers for June were the fifth worst in the nation. The latest monthly data follows an Illinois Auditor General report showing more than $5.2 billion in unemployment benefits were overpaid during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The data from the Illinois Policy Institute show the state lost 9,500 jobs in June. 

Tim Mapes, the ousted “gatekeeper” and longtime chief of staff of former Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigan, deliberately lied and misled a federal grand jury because he wanted to “protect the boss,” a federal prosecutor charged Wednesday.

“Truth matters,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Diane MacArthur said.

Mayor Brandon Johnson “is not anti-business” and remains committed to talking to business leaders about “what his priorities are and the best way to fund” them, a top mayoral aide said Wednesday.

Johnson campaigned on a promise to make $1 billion in investments in people, with that money coming from $800 million in increased taxes, fines and fees. But Chief Operating Officer John Roberson said the mayor knows it’ll take years to deliver those investments, with the pace of progress depending on how much new revenue he can get, and when.

A new Illinois law has become a flashpoint in the culture wars with figures like Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis condemning it, and Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker defending it.

The law will soon allow non-citizens who are both legally eligible to work in the U.S. and authorized to possess firearms under federal law to become police officers and deputy sheriffs.

With the 2023 Illinois State Fair about to get underway, Gov. JB Pritzker and Department of Agriculture Director Jerry Costello II officially unveiled this year’s butter cow.

The cow was sculpted by artist Sarah Pratt and inspired by dairy farmer Lorilee Schultz, from Mill-R-Mor Dairy in Orangeville, who is depicted harvesting milk from one of her cows. The theme of this year’s State Fair is “Harvest the Fun.”