(SPRINGFIELD) The Illinois Department of Employment Security has announced that the state’s unemployment rate increased to 4.9 percent, while nonfarm payrolls increased by 12,700 in May, all based on preliminary data provided by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The national unemployment rate for May was at 4.0 percent even.
(SPRINGFIELD) As the summer concert and festival season is underway across Illinois, the State Attorney General’s Office has issued guidance to help residents avoid common ticket sale scams. Officials are cautioning folks that buying tickets from a third-party vendor or private party increases the risk for fraud and inadvertently purchasing counterfeit tickets, plus they warn residents to avoid paying for tickets with anything other than a credit card, if possible, which offers additional protections should a sale be fraudulent. For more tips and information, go to the illinoisattorneygeneral.gov website available online.
(SPRINGFIELD) An Illinois man won $1 million playing the lottery by using numbers his family said were related to his late wife. The man, along with his adult children, split the purchase of a Lotto Million 1 ticket in Wadsworth, a northern suburb of Chicago, and won the top prize in the May 20th drawing. The winning family chose to remain anonymous. The BP gas station in Wadsworth that sold the winning ticket was receive $10,000.
(SPRINGFIELD) The Illinois Department of Natural Resources and the Illinois Department of Agriculture are teaming up to offer two nights of free camping at select state parks for anyone who purchases a 2024 Illinois State Fair admission book online between June 26th and July 3rd. The parks included in the “Stay & Play” promotion are Sangchris Lake State Park in Sangamon County, Lincoln’s New Salem State Historic Site in Menard County, and Jim Edgar Panther Creek State Fish & Wildlife Area in Cass County, all of which are within about a 30-minute drive to Springfield and all with electrical hookups, shower houses, and other amenities. Learn more on the State DNR and/or State Ag Department websites.