(SPRINGFIELD) Illinois is one of a dozen states in the nation that are at risk of eliminating or scaling back programs when the federal government’s COVID-19 stimulus package ends in two years. A new report notes that 38 states primarily used the federal money for one time or short term purposes, such as capital projects, while the other 12 states, including Illinois, have been flagged for using the federal funds to cover recurring costs. As a result, Illinois now faces a moderate to elevated risk of encountering a fiscal failure if it cannot find money to replace the federal money. The Coronavirus State & Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (SLFRF) were handed out to states, cities, and counties that saw tax revenues plummet during the COVID-19 pandemic due to government imposed lockdowns.
(SPRINGFIELD) With the holiday shopping season underway, Illinois small business owners have a gloomy outlook on end-of-the-year revenues. According to alignable.com‘s fourth quarter report, 58% of the small businesses in Illinois do not believe they will make as much money as they did this time last year. That’s the third highest percentage in the country behind Florida (68%) and Maryland (59%). Researchers day high interest rates continue to take a toll, with 55% of small businesses in Illinois saying 19 months of climbing interest rates have cut into their margins and revenues for the year.
(CHICAGO) Chicago is looking at its highest crime rates since before the pandemic, leading some to question the current criminal justice system’s overall effectiveness. While Chicago has seen murders drop by 10% so far in 2023, other major crimes have significantly went higher. With car thefts up 52% and robberies up 25% so far this year, the Windy City has seen nearly 80,000 major crimes in 2023, which according to wirepoints.com, is 29,000 more crimes than at this point in 2019. Meanwhile, it was yesterday that new Mayor Brandon Johnson welcomed more academy graduates onto the Chicago Police force.