illinois policy institute

It's probably already started near your house, right? Starting at about 2 weeks before Independence Day, many people who've made the hike up to Beloit to buy fireworks start shooting them off leading up to their big backyard show on July 4th.

The U.S. Census Bureau released some population estimates a couple of weeks back that show Illinois is continuing to lose population at a record-setting rate.

If you haven't already heard the term "The Great Resignation," you probably will in the very near future.

So here's the great news as we head into a holiday weekend where more Illinoisans will be driving somewhere than we have in a decade: The new gas taxes kick in today.

Here's a little sample of an exchange between several of my coworkers when we were discussing the upcoming 4th of July festivities in a staff meeting this morning:

From the middle of March through the middle of April, there was a slow-down of the labor market's recovery across the country, but especially here in Illinois--and Rockford in particular.

As you probably already know, Illinois leads the Midwest (and is near the top in the nation) in outbound migration. When people who are moving out of our state are asked why, the number one reason, by a wide margin, is a one-word answer: taxes.

Illinois’ unemployment rate is still lagging behind the rest of the nation and is the highest of all Midwestern states at 7.1%, leaving 436,400 Illinoisans looking for work, according to analysis by the Illinois Policy Institute.

No matter how you look at it, 35 percent is a huge number of small businesses that have either temporarily or permanently closed their doors because of COVID-19.

Now that you've got masks that match up with all of your different outfits and moods, it would be a real shame to get rid of them wouldn't it? Don't worry. It's not going to happen anytime soon.