Illinois Quick Hits: Unemployment up over last year
(The Center Square) – According to preliminary figures from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Illinois’ statewide unemployment rate for December 2025 was 4.8%, up from 4.4% in December 2024.
Over the year, non-farm jobs decreased in nine of the state’s metropolitan areas and increased in three.
The Chicago-Naperville-Schaumburg area has reported 18 consecutive months of job growth.
CHILD PORNOGRAPHY CHARGE
A church official from Illinois is facing a charge of producing child pornography.
Michael William Mohr, 54, is president of the Central Illinois District of the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod.
The affidavit in support of the complaint alleges that searches of residences used by Mohr revealed cameras disguised as electronic devices and videos of juveniles in the bathroom.
STATE AG GRANTS
The Illinois Department of Agriculture has announced plans to distribute $3.6 million in grants to support local food processing, aggregation and distribution.
Grants will be available for collaborative projects from $1,000 to $250,000 and for individual projects from $1,000 to $75,000. Eligible entities include businesses with fewer than 50 employees, nonprofits and units of local government.
The funds were appropriated in the 2026 state budget.
Showers And Thunderstorms
Latest News Stories
Public Works Committee Advances $3.2 Million Engineering Contract for Mills Road Reconstruction
Board Members Debate “Commitment to Truth” in Media Resolution
Executive Committee: Speaker VanDuyne and Member Butler Clash Over Removal of Committee Chair
Finance Committee: County Appropriates Fees from $25 Million Wilmington Warehouse Project
Capital Imp Committee: Begins Drafting Policy to Regulate Artificial Intelligence in County Government
Public Health Committee Chair Demands Animal Control Agreements for Crete, Monee
Public Works Committee Considers Taking Over Kankakee County Line Road to Expedite Bridge Repairs
Meeting Summary and Briefs: Village of Manhattan Board of Trustees for January 6, 2026
Peotone Man Charged With Disorderly Conduct, Criminal Damage at New Lenox Target
Executive Committee: Update to Land Resource Management Plan; Solar Farms and Rural Zoning Dominate Discussion
Will County Committee Adds Path to Citizenship Support to Federal Agenda
Meeting Summary and Briefs: Manhattan Township Board for November 11, 2025
Health Department Outlines Major Reduction in Consensus Vaccine Schedule
