Right to unionize amendment projected to pass
SPRINGFIELD – Illinois voters have approved a state constitutional amendment guaranteeing workers the right to organize and engage in collective bargaining. Estimates compiled by multiple media outlets projected Tuesday that the ballot measure had support on an estimated 53 percent of the total ballots cast in the election, with more than 95 percent of the […]
State Rep. Chris Miller reflects on January 6, analyzes midterm elections in IPM interview
URBANA — State Representative Chris Miller of Illinois’ 110th district won re-election in last week’s midterms. He ran unopposed and will soon serve his third term in office. Miller, the Coles County Republican, attended the “Save America” rally in Washington D.C. on January 6, 2021, which preceded the attack on the U.S. Capitol Building. A […]
Tightening abortion laws reignite conversation around a permanent Child Tax Credit
INDIANAPOLIS — Maxine Thomas got her first Child Tax Credit payment in the spring of 2021. She was skeptical, like it was too good to be true. “I really didn’t think I was going to get it for some reason,” she said. Thomas is a single mom of five children. She works full time at […]
How effective are different policies at fighting medical debt? A researcher weighs in
LOS ANGELES — Wes Yin says it’s impossible to study health care these days without coming across the issue of medical debt. “There’s a lot of people who are struggling,” said Yin, an associate professor of economics at UCLA and one of the nation’s leading researchers on medical debt. https://cpa.ds.npr.org/s4780019/audio/2022/11/medicaldebt-2way.mp3 Listen to this story here. […]
Rivian’s second shift in Normal is now making vehicles, as supply chain ‘uncertainty’ continues
NORMAL – A second shift of workers is now making electric vehicles at Rivian’s plant in Normal, even as global supply chain issues continue to be the “largest source of uncertainty” for the company. Rivian now has 6,680 workers in Normal. Adding a second shift increases the hours each day when vehicles are being produced […]
Illinois’ economic growth rate continues to slow down: Flash Index
Illinois’ economy is growing at an increasingly slower rate. That’s according to the University of Illinois’ monthly Flash Index. The Flash Index has been declining for the past seven months. It measured the Illinois economy at 103.7 in October, down four-tenths of a point from September’s 104.1 reading, and down 2.4 points from its post-recession […]
Powell: Rate hikes may slow, but inflation fight is not over
WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell sought to strike a delicate balance at a moment when high inflation is bedeviling the nation’s economy and commanding a central role in the midterm elections. Powell suggested that the Fed may decide in coming months to slow its aggressive interest rate increases. Yet he also made […]
The application for Biden’s student loan relief is open. Here’s what to know about it
Updated October 15, 2022 at 11:31 AM ET A beta version of President Biden’s student loan forgiveness application is now open — the first time borrowers have been able to apply for up to $20,000 in debt cancellation. The early opening is a test to help the Education Department find problems with the site before […]
Illinois voters will decide whether to enshrine right to unionize in state constitution
Illinois voters will be asked on the Nov. 8 ballot whether they want to amend the state constitution to enshrine the rights of workers to organize and collectively bargain as a constitutional right. The proposed amendment would codify the rights of private and public sector workers to negotiate wages, working conditions and more. Proponents say […]
C-U at Home, Champaign Township work to negotiate building sale for new homeless shelter
CHAMPAIGN – Local homeless shelter C-U at Home has rejected an offer from the City of Champaign Township to buy its building near downtown Champaign. Yet the Township still has its eye on buying the property to use for a new, emergency homeless shelter called Strides. On Sept. 20, the Champaign City Council, in its […]
Voters will decide on ‘right to unionize’ constitutional amendment
SPRINGFIELD – Illinois voters will be asked in November to decide whether the right of workers to form unions and engage in collective bargaining should be enshrined in the state constitution. The first clause of the amendment contains two sentences. The first would establish a “fundamental right to organize and to bargain collectively and to […]
Comptroller’s Race: Mendoza touts state’s fiscal progress; Teresi focuses on recent corruption
SPRINGFIELD – When former Gov. Bruce Rauner and the Democratic-controlled General Assembly spent more than two years at an impasse in negotiating a state budget from mid-2015 into 2017, the office of Illinois comptroller was thrust onto center stage. As the state’s chief fiscal officer, the comptroller is often referred to as manager of the […]
State to reduce $1.8 billion federal unemployment debt by $450 million
Low unemployment has allowed for payment from trust fund balance, Pritzker says SPRINGFIELD – Gov. JB Pritzker announced a plan Tuesday to reduce a $1.8 billion Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund deficit by $450 million through an infusion of unemployment-related revenues. The trust fund is the pool of money paid into by employers to provide a […]
Sports betting in Illinois: growing, but not a fix-all
Revenues continue to grow as professional sports maintain schedules and betting options increase SPRINGFIELD — It was a slow start for one of Illinois’ newest revenue sources. But sports betting continues to gather momentum. “I’m very happy that we have additional money, that this is on the positive side of the equation,” said Illinois State […]
Gaming execs: Illinois could join states allowing internet casino gambling.
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) — Illinois is among the states most likely to soon adopt internet gambling, according to panelists in a major casino conference in Atlantic City. Speaking Friday at the East Coast Gaming Congress in Atlantic City, executives of online gambling companies said the rapid growth of sports betting provides a ready-made infrastructure […]