Lots of businesses tried to get started during 2021 in Illinois, but the ones that create jobs had a tough time launching. That’s why Illinois unemployment remains high and salaries depressed during a national labor shortage.
Illinois saw new residential building permits in 2021 issued at one of the slowest rates in the nation. The rest of the U.S. saw real estate booming.
Illinois’ combined state and average local retail sales tax rate topped 8.8% in 2022. That’s the 8th-highest in the nation and the highest in the Midwest.
Workers looking for a job find fewer opportunities in Illinois than in virtually any other state.
After the Illinois Supreme Court determined the state’s appeal of decisions regarding the governor’s school mask rules was moot, the governor declared schools can move to mask optional policies on Feb. 28.
Illinois is the only state to outlaw leaving children home alone until they are 14. Lawmakers are considering throwing out the minimum age altogether, joining 39 other states that leave it up to parents.
If voters pass Amendment 1 in November, it will give teachers unions unprecedented power over what happens in schools. That power could never be curbed.
“The scholarships help us a lot because I am self-employed, and I don’t always have a fixed income. On my own, it would be very difficult to afford the tuition and fees at our local private school. The scholarship has helped me to keep my kids in a good school.”
Gov. J.B. Pritzker is asking the Illinois Supreme Court to let him keep his authority to force Illinoisans to mask. But his effort to keep his COVID-19 mandate power is ignoring relevant data.
Illinois Gov. J.B Pritzker’s latest campaign boast is how he’s providing relief for families, but none of it is permanent. He created much of the problem, and all the tax relief he’s proposing would expire after the election.
Chicago Public Schools’ Board of Education said vaccination rates have it keeping students and staff in masks Feb. 28 and beyond. Parents are asking what it will take to see classrooms without masks. More private schools are taking off masks.
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot won a round in her fight to make Chicago Police Department workers get their COVID-19 vaccinations. Now all city employees, including police officers, must be vaccinated.