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Illinois Jobless Rate Jumps As More People Look For Work
CHICAGO (AP) — State officials say the unemployment rate sharply spiked in Illinois in November as more people started looking for work.
The Illinois Department of Employment Security said Thursday that the jobless rate jumped 0.3 percent to 5...
Tollway Authority Requests Quote For AR-15 Trigger Guards
Illinois News Network
Why does the Illinois Tollway Authority need AR-15 trigger guards?
Because the self-funded agency picks up the tab for Illinois State Police District 15 equipment. A request for quote from the Illinois Tollway Authority to various vendors for 100 trigger guards that fit AR-15 rifles is raising some eyebrows because the Authority isn’t known to taxpayers as having rifles...
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Teen Fatally Shot on Rockford’s West Side
ROCKFORD, Ill. (AP) — A 17-year-old boy has been fatally shot on the far west side of Rockford.
Officers were called at about 4:30 p.m. Wednesday and found the teen suffering from multiple gunshot wounds on a residential driveway. He was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead...
Most Illinois House and Senate Races Uncontested
John Gregory -- Illinois Radio Network
Eleven months before Election Day, more than half of state legislative elections may have already been decided.
Of the 158 House and Senate races in 2016, 81 currently have only one candidate. University of Illinois Springfield political science professor Kent Redfield says that’s the goal of the current’s redistricting process controlled by whatever party is
Illinois’ Unfunded Pension Liability Now Up To $111 Billion
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — A state legislative report says Illinois' unfunded pension liability is $111 billion.
The General Assembly's Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability listed the figure in a Thursday report. It covers five pension systems for the fiscal year that ended June 30...
Illinois Lawmakwer Seeks Ban on Ammo and Firearm Taxes
Illinois News Network
A state representative is looking to get you more bang for your buck.
Southern Illinois Democratic Representative Jerry Costello filed a measure he says would ban any extra taxes or fees imposed by local governments on the purchase of firearms or ammunition...
Radogno: Madigan’s Call For Tax Hike Without Reforms, Is ‘outrageous’
Illinois News Network
Much of the state’s obligations have been covered through piecemeal appropriations measure, court orders and consent decrees but there’s still another $6 billion of spending that hasn’t been approved and there needs to be an income tax increase...
Little Progress In Latest Leadership Meeting In Springfield
John Gregory -- Illinois Radio Network
The governor and the legislative leaders continue to meet, but apparently haven't even reached the point of discussing a final budget number.
This meeting took place away from cameras at the Thompson Center at Chicago...
Lottery Payouts Coming Soon, Lawsuit Still Moving Forward
Illinois News Network
Illinois Lottery winners will soon get the money they’re owed. The Illinois Lottery praised the release of funds found in a bill passed by the General Assembly and signed by the governor Monday and said the agency expects to process winnings claims in the order they were received...
Stadelman Pushes For MAP Grant Funding
Dave Dahl -- Illinois Radio Network
For Trisha Rodriquez of Belvidere, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is her “dream school.”
“It's such a huge school, and there are so many opportunities that I don't really get where I'm from,” said the first-generation college student, a sophomore majoring in economics and political science, “to work for all these awesome organizations and be part