States

It might get to you sometimes. You know, reading over and over again in various spots about how dangerous Rockford is. About how dangerous Chicago is. How dangerous Bloomington, Peoria, and East St. Louis are. How could you not think that Illinois is danger-central? Well, maybe because there are lots of other states that could take that title before us.

With National Police Week kicking off next week on the 14th, we want to salute all the men and women of law enforcement. We also want to congratulate those who've chosen to serve and protect here in Illinois--because, according to a new report, they picked the right state.

With Mother’s Day around the corner and more than 70 percent of moms with young children working today, the personal-finance website WalletHub conducted an in-depth analysis of 2017’s Best & Worst States for Working Moms.  And, guess what? The Land of Lincoln is among the best places for a working mom to be.

We've said it before, and it will be said many more times: "Illinois is too hard on itself." To be fair, many times we're hard on ourselves for good reasons--high property taxes, ineffective state government, massive pension debts, crime, corruption, to name just a few. But even with those negatives, it seems that Illinois is still fun. And, a lot more fun than many other states. Read Mo

Don't look now, but on the 18th of this month, Uncle Sam, on both the state and federal levels, will be looking for his cut of your earnings. If you've ever had the feeling that a bigger piece of your pie gets taken here in Illinois than in many other states--you're right.

A while back in this space, I posted a piece entitled "What are Illinoisans Asking Google About?" In a nutshell, it was a look at what each state, starting with our own, was asking Google about more than any other state. Some of the entries were a bit on the odd side, so today, let's go all the way to the weirdness.

Sure, you may be stressing since we're into tax season once again. But once mid-April goes by, how's your overall stress level as a citizen of Illinois? It may be lower than you'd expect.

Maybe you're an expert Do-It-Yourself (DIY) kind of person. You know, the sort of individual that just has the skill to handle any and all projects. The sort of person who snorts when someone says "I Googled how to do ________." Or, maybe you're like me (and millions of others like me) who head straight for the world's foremost authority on everything to help you when you can't make head

You probably can't tell from just looking around, but there are fewer fellow Illinoisans around you now than there were just a few short years ago.

December begins National Identity Theft Prevention and Awareness Month, and those of us who live in Illinois should pay close attention to the warnings and cautions that we'll be hearing about throughout the holiday season. Why? Because Illinois is ranked #2 overall out of 50 states for identity theft, and #38 when it comes to identity fraud.