Afternoon news update: May 21, 2015

A group of protesters have delivered a petition calling for pay of $15 an hour and a union to a McDonald's shareholder meeting at Oak Brook. Protest organizers say the petition contains 1.4 million signatures. The protests come as McDonald's fights to hold onto customers amid intensifying competition from smaller rivals and changing tastes.
The Illinois Department of Employment Security announced Thursday that Illinois’ April unemployment rate held steady at 6%. The state’s rate is higher than the national April rate, which dipped slightly to 5.4%. In April, only Professional and Business Services, Other Services and Educational and Health Services posted employment gains.
Sweet corn could soon be the official state vegetable. Representative Raymond Poe of Springfield says the idea was brought to him by fourth graders at downstate Chatham Elementary School. The bill must still be signed into law by the governor.
More public art is on display in downtown Rockford. Five new sculptures are on display in various locations around the city for a year. It’s a program of the Rockford Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, something it hopes to continue with different artists.
New figures put out by the U.S. Census Bureau shows that Rockford is one of the fastest shrinking cities in the United States by both numbers and percentages. The Census estimates that between July 1, 2013 and July 1, 2014, the City of Rockford lost 1,240 residents, or about 100 every month. Several Illinois cities on the list saw declines in population or low growth. Chicago gained a grand total of 86 residents over the period.
16^th District Congressman Adam Kinzinger is urging the Obama Administration to more aggressively battle ISIS and other terrorist organizations. In a speech on the House floor, Kinzinger called for ground forces to battle the extremists, something Democrats oppose as do many of Kinzinger's fellow Republicans.
In celebration of the 30th anniversary of “The Breakfast Club,” the state is auctioning off chairs from the set of the movie. “The Breakfast Club” was shot at Maine North High School in Des Plaines which was later sold to the state and used as an office building and surplus property warehouse. The chairs that will be up for auction on the state’s “I-bid” website are from the school’s theatre that was shown in the opening scene of the movie. Online bidding will begin Friday, May 29th at Ibid.Illinois.gov.

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