Get the latest news from around Illinois.
The Center Square: Some Illinois businesses are putting a freeze on hiring
Illinois job market numbers for last month show many Illinois businesses are putting a freeze on hiring new workers.
A recent report by WalletHub highlights where employers struggle the most in hiring workers. Illinois finished tied for fifth place for those struggling the most.
Chicago Tribune: Delay in casino at Hawthorne Race Course is impacting Illinois’ ‘dying’ horse racing industry. But officials say it’s coming.
More than three years after Hawthorne Race Course was authorized to add casino gambling, not a single card has been dealt nor a coin dropped in the slots. The $400 million combination horse racetrack and casino, or “racino,” was supposed to have opened in 2021.
Workers even started initial demolition work at the track, which shut down the grandstand. Track officials maintain the project is coming soon, but construction has yet to begin, leaving racing and casino fans alike scratching their heads.
Daily Herald: Which school boards have competition in the spring elections and why
Curriculum, taxes, library books and even student groups are among the issues driving school board races across the suburbs.
Monday was the last day for candidates to file petitions to get their names on the April 4 ballot. While some districts saw just enough people running for open spots on their boards of education, others saw crowded fields of candidates running for a handful of seats.
Herald-News: Mokena couple in PPP loan fraud case face theft charge for failing to pay tax on misused funds
A Mokena couple charged with using $653,500 of a $1.1 million Paycheck Protection Program loan to buy a house face a new charge of stealing from the Illinois Department of Revenue by not paying the applicable income tax on the funds they’re accused of misusing.
On Thursday, a grand jury returned an indictment against Jennifer and Joseph Wirtz that included nine charges in connection with the PPP loan fraud case. Originally, the Wirtz couple had eight charges.