Get the latest news from around Illinois.
The Center Square: A look at the state of cannabis in Illinois
As recreational marijuana remains illegal on the federal level, Illinois continues to rake in the tax proceeds from statewide sales.
In fiscal year 2022, cannabis sales in Illinois topped $1.5 billion, generating over $445 million in state tax revenue. As of June this year, Illinois was the third largest cannabis market in the country, trailing only California and Michigan.
Chicago Tribune: As migrants clash near high-volume shelters, neighbors and businesses grow alarmed: ‘We don’t feel safe’
Over the weekend, a fight broke out near the 1,163-resident migrant shelter at the former Standard Club, 320 S. Plymouth Court, just the latest brawl to be caught on camera outside one of the high-population shelters downtown.
With the city buckling under the growing number of migrants — 12 buses carrying 560 more asylum hopefuls arrived this weekend — and no sign of the influx slowing down, tensions among migrants, residents and business owners are reaching a boiling point. The neighbors say they’ve witnessed frequent fights, loitering and other misconduct.
Chicago Sun-Times: As Red Line extension advances, a cheaper way hides in plain sight
A couple weeks ago, there was an event in town that politicians treated as a celebration. It may, instead, have been a mistake compounded for taxpayers.
VIPs gathered to herald the federal government’s decision to provide $2 billion toward the cost of the CTA’s Red Line extension, which would run from 95th to 130th streets. CTA President Dorval Carter Jr. said the money ensured the transit authority could begin engineering work, the last step before construction. It’s an estimated $3.7 billion project before inevitable cost overruns.
WCIA: Central Illinois counties continue navigating end of cash bail one week after new system takes effect
Counties across Illinois have spent the past week navigating the new no cash bail system. And in some areas, they haven’t seen any major changes.
“We’ve had a slight headcount drop in our jail, we’re down about 295 this morning, which is down about 10 from our average over the last month or so,” Sangamon County Sheriff Jack Campbell said. “That’s kind of what we expected.”