Illinois in Focus

Add Illinois-based heavy machinery manufacturer Caterpillar to the list of employers that are sending their corporate headquarters out of state. Caterpillar will soon have its headquarters in Texas rather than the Land of Lincoln. It's the second major employer moving out of the state in a month. Boeing announced in May it was relocating its headquarters from Chicago to Arlington, Virginia.

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Illinois' five taxpayer-funded state pension systems are second worst in the nation when it comes to debt.

The American Legislative Exchange Council, (ALEC) released “Unaccountable and Unaffordable”, which puts the total unfunded pension liability at $8.2 trillion nationwide.

Illinois' liability was second worst at $533 billion. Only California, with a much larger population than Illinois, was worse.

The ALEC report also shows Illinois has the second highest unfunded pension liability per capita at over $41,656 per person. That ranks 49th in the country ahead of only Alaska.

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A new report shows that Illinois continues to struggle with higher unemployment rates, ranking near the bottom of states most recovered from the COVID-19 pandemic.

The report was done by WalletHub, which ranked the 50 states from best to worst in terms of which unemployment rates are bouncing back the best.

Illinois ranked 42nd out of 50 on the WalletHub list, with its unemployment rate at 4.6% in April. The national unemployment rate was 3.6% in April, a full percentage point lower than in Illinois.

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Cities and towns in Illinois lost more than 104,000 people in the 12 months up to July 1, 2021, according to new U.S. Census data released Thursday. Nearly half of Illinois’ losses were from Chicago.

By total population, the top 10 gains in Illinois were in Yorkville (995), Montgomery (907), Champaign (907), Oswego (605), Plainfield (598), Romeoville (591), Manhattan (505), Pingree Grove (342) and Winfield (310).

The 10 cities with the greatest losses were Chicago (-45,175), Cicero, (-1,703), Arlington Heights (-1,377), Schaumburg (-1,361), Evanston (-1,279), Palatine (-1,267), Skokie (-1,260), Berwyn (-1,141), Peoria (-1,126) and Oak Park (-1,094).

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Illinois gas prices have steadily climbed month by month, with last month seeing a 60-cent increase in the average cost of a gallon of regular gas. These high costs have forced many residents to pay more at the pump.

On top of the state's high fuel prices, Illinois has the third-highest gas tax in the nation behind only Pennsylvania and California.

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As families deal with rising prices on groceries and other household items, prices at the pump are once again flirting with record highs.

In the latest report, the cheapest gas was priced at just under $4 a gallon, while the most expensive was $5.78 a gallon.

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A new report on the LaSalle Veterans' Home COVID-19 outbreak, pension buyouts and the state’s rankings among CEOs with commentary about abortion, disinformation, possible rolling borwnounts and more.

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The Central Illinois Gubernatorial Candidate Forum was hosted by the Tazewell County Republicans in partnership with the Peoria County and Woodford County GOP Monday night. Five of the six candidates certified for the Republican ballot attended.

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The Illinois Fuel and Retail Association plans to challenge the constitutionality of the requirement that gas stations promote a delay in the gas tax increase that Gov. J.B. Pritkzer signed into law Tuesday.

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Some question whether taxpayer-funded guaranteed income programs set to start across the state will be successful.

Chicago is accepting applications later this month for the city’s $31.5 million program meant to give $500 a month to 5,000 eligible residents. The income threshold is under $57,000 a year for a family of three.

As part of the state budget approved by lawmakers, there also is a $3.6 million guaranteed income pilot program for the Metro East area in East St. Louis.

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