Get the latest news from around Illinois.
Chicago Sun-Times: Chicago Public Schools CEO Pedro Martinez gets $10,200 raise
Chicago Public Schools CEO Pedro Martinez has received a $10,200 raise, bumping his salary to $350,200 — near the top of the city’s payroll.
The Board of Education unanimously approved the raise Wednesday after discussing Martinez’s performance and contract terms behind closed doors at the end of its monthly board meeting.
The Center Square: Illinois named worst state for the middle class
A new report lists the Land of Lincoln as the least tax-friendly state in the nation for middle-class families.
The report was done by Kiplinger and ranked the 10 worst states for middle-class families when looking at the state’s overall tax burden.
Chicago Sun-Times: Cook County’s chief judge investigating court employees who got COVID-19 relief loans
Chief Cook County Judge Timothy Evans has hired a law firm to interview his employees in an investigation of possible fraud regarding government coronavirus relief loans they got under a program to help businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Evans told the county judiciary’s more than 2,700 employees in a Nov. 30 letter obtained by the Chicago Sun-Times that he has retained the Zuber Lawler law firm to speak with those who got the loans under the federal Paycheck Protection Program, an investigation he said should take about two months.
WTTW: While a Black-Owned Cannabis Dispensary Opens in Chicago, Critics Say State’s Equity Work Still Falling Short
A Black-owned cannabis dispensary is now open in Chicago, but nearly 200 other shops that won state social equity licenses have yet to open their doors.
The lag time raises the question of whether Illinois has followed through on its pledge to use legal marijuana to lift communities and people who were previously punished by anti-cannabis laws.
Rockford Register Star: State certifies Illinois' 2022 General Election results. Here's who got the most votes
The Illinois State Board of Elections certified its election results Monday, putting the final stamp on another Democratic sweep of statewide offices.
The board reported that 4,142,642 out of 8,115,751 registered voters cast ballots in the election, a turnout of roughly 51 percent. That’s down from a turnout of more than 57 percent in 2018, but up from a 49 percent turnout in 2014, according to ISBE.
Chicago Sun-Times: Illinois sets record with more than $1 billion wagered on sports in October
Illinois bettors plunked down more than $1 billion on sports in October, a new record for the state’s young sports betting industry and one of the highest monthly figures recorded anywhere in the U.S. since the industry was legalized, gambling regulators announced Thursday.
The staggering monthly handle — the total amount of money wagered — cements Illinois’ status as one of the nation’s most bet-hungry sports markets, joining New York, New Jersey and Nevada as the only states to cross the billion-dollar mark in a single month.