Blog Posts

Teen employment in Illinois and the Midwest has decreased drastically in the last decade, in large part due to the economic challenges facing the nation. In the past decade, teen employment in the United States has dropped from 45 percent to 26 percent. During this same period, Illinois' youth employment rate dropped from nearly 50 percent of teens employed in 2001 to only 29 percent today.

These statistics were presented by researchers from Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts at an event hosted by the Chicago Urban League and the Alternative Schools Network and attended by State Senators Jacqueline Collins, Mattie Hunter, Kimberly Lightford, and Kwame Raoul.

Read more: Senate Democrats Attend Forum Highlighting Youth Employment

Twelve million American adults and children have food allergies, most of whom are mindful of their well-being when purchasing or preparing a meal. Yet over 50,000 emergency room admissions and about 150 deaths each year are due to allergic reactions to food allergens, many of them in restaurants where a lack of communication caused exposure.

Illinois may become the second state to enact a law requiring food establishments to post information for patrons about the presence of the most common food allergens if legislation filed by State Senator Ira Silverstein is passed in the General Assembly this year. Senate Bill 2548 is modeled after a law passed in Massachusetts in 2009 and calls for simple measures restaurants and patrons can take to make dining safe.

Read more: ‘Food Allergy Friendly’ designation would make restaurants safer for patrons

A report released today by the U.S. Labor Department shows a continued increase in the labor market as new applications for unemployment dropped by 50,000 claims. Economists had projected a slight drop in claims, expecting a decrease of just over 15,000 claims. The dramatic decrease helped push new claims to a four-year low.

Today’s report adds to previously released data showing improved economic conditions are leading businesses to increase hiring. December employment numbers recently released showed a decrease in the national unemployment rate to 8.5% with the addition of over 200,000 new jobs created in December alone. Figures released for Illinois also showed a decrease in unemployment in nine metropolitan regions in November.

Illinois has been a leader in job creation with over 105,000 new jobs created since January of 2010.

Read more: U.S. jobless claims drop near 4-year low (Chicago Tribune)

The Western Illinois University Quad Cities campus furthered its mission as a comprehensive public university this week by opening the first phase of a planned expansion made possible by the statewide construction plan passed by the General Assembly in 2009. 

“This is an example of the direct link from Springfield to our local communities,” said Jacobs.  “The construction plan passed by the General Assembly includes projects like the WIU campus expansion in all regions of the state.  I wouldn’t have voted for it if it didn’t include key projects to help our region grow and put local people to work.  Without that statewide construction program, this local project doesn’t happen.”

Read more: Campus Opens thanks to Illinois Statewide Construction Plan, Senator Jacobs