Local Headlines

CHICAGO – Statewide and local unemployment rates made a small decrease, but are now back to similar numbers seen in the spring. Local rates have remained steady throughout the summer, but the reduction experienced for the month of August takes numbers back even further to those of May,

NEW YORK (AP) — Hundreds more Americans have been reported to have a vaping-related breathing illness, and the death toll has risen to 12, health officials said Thursday. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said 805 confirmed and probable cases have been reported, up 52% from the

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — The former chief executive officer of a central Illinois economic development organization has pleaded guilty to a theft charge for allegedly stealing thousands of dollars from it. Eric Berglund of Springfield was sentenced to two years’ probation Wednesday and a

WOODSTOCK, Ill. (AP) — Congressmen and senators from Illinois are urging a review of health policies after a mumps outbreak at a northern Illinois county jail that houses immigrant detainees. Health officials confirmed six mumps cases earlier this month at McHenry County Jail, which contracts

SKOKIE, Ill. (AP) — A suburban Chicago man who confronted a woman for wearing a T-shirt emblazoned with the Puerto Rican flag has been found guilty of a hate crime. Timothy Trybus of Des Plaines was convicted Wednesday for confronting Mia Irizarry over the shirt. The 25-year-old Irizarry

  SEATTLE (AP) — Seventeen states sued the Trump administration Wednesday to block rules weakening the Endangered Species Act, saying the changes would make it tougher to protect wildlife even in the midst of a global extinction crisis. The lawsuit, in federal court in San Francisco,

BLOOMINGTON – The Illinois Farm Bureau President responded to the trade agreement with the U.S. and Japan. On Wednesday. the United States and Japan signed a limited trade deal that will open Japanese markets to American farm goods.The deal will reduce Japanese barriers to American beef,

  CHICAGO – Local pump prices are showing signs of stabilization after attacks on two oil facilities in Saudi Arabia earlier this month. According to the American Automobile Association, gas stations reacted just as swiftly as the market, raising local prices by as much as a quarter.