A new study says the Chicago metropolitan area has one of the biggest inflation problems in the United States.

WalletHub found that Chicago trails only New York, Minneapolis and Detroit on the inflation list. WalletHub writer/analyst Chip Lupo says several factors may be affecting those markets.

Illinois nurtured the nation’s greatest president in Abraham Lincoln. It is the birthplace of iconic Republican President Ronald Reagan and the state where Democrat Barack Obama, the country’s first Black president, developed his political chops.

But Illinois is far better known for a more notorious political legacy: constant and persistent corruption. Four of its last 11 governors went to prison. Chicago, its largest city, is home to sweeping federal sting operations that put busloads of judges, aldermen, state lawmakers and other officials behind bars.

Chicago Public Schools kicks off the new school year Monday with leaders hoping academic achievement will continue to improve as the district works to serve students with increasing needs amid budget cuts.

Classes are starting during a mini heatwave, with an excessive heat warning in effect from noon Monday until Tuesday night due to “dangerously hot conditions,” the National Weather Service said. Temperatures are expected to stay in the ’90s through Tuesday, testing many schools’ old air systems. CPS is canceling all outdoor athletic contests Monday and Tuesday and plans to move practices indoors or cancel them. Officials say recess and P.E. will be held indoors if the heat is excessive. CPS says all classrooms have air conditioning.

Palatine will contribute up to $54,000 in tax increment financing funds toward the expansion of a downtown business.

The village council last week voted to provide assistance to Cook, Cork & Fork, 34 W. Palatine Road, which offers gourmet kitchenware and cooking classes. The money will come in the form of a reimbursement from the Downtown TIF District Facade & Interior Building Improvement Grant Program.

It was a race that sent 35,000 rubber ducks down a 750-foot water slide.

However, it was also an event that raised $215,000 for the Center for Prevention of Abuse, which has said that money will help offset a major cut in federal funding through the Victims of Crime Act.

Students go through different challenges each day. But the Macon-Piatt Regional Office of Education is testing out a new program to fix that.

The program, called Option 3, focuses on a small group of students in mixed age groups. So far, 13 students are part of this new program to help them feel comfortable with their surroundings and hopefully take some of their anxiety away.