Illinois Quick Hits: Report says Pekin Bowling Center 'taxed out of business'

Illinois Quick Hits: Report says Pekin Bowling Center ‘taxed out of business’

April 6, 2026/
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By Jim Talamonti | The Center Square
The Center Square

Sunset Lanes in Pekin is set to close later this month as the bowling center’s owner says it is being “taxed out of business.”

James Keith told the Peoria Journal Star that property taxes, sales taxes and licensing fees have forced entertainment centers to raise their prices.

Keith also said gaming machines are no longer profitable for his business due to increased state and local licensing fees.

COMPTROLLER CALLS FOR CPS KIDS TO BE IN SCHOOL

Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza says Chicago Public Schools students should be in school May 1, even though the Chicago Teachers Union called for students and teachers to skip school and work so they could join protests against federal immigration law enforcement and in favor of higher taxes on wealthy people.

Mendoza said in a social media post that kids need more time in the classroom, not less, and the focus should be on the city’s test scores, not its politics.

CHICAGO TRIO WITH ATTEMPTING TO ROB FEDERAL AGENT

Three Chicago men are charged with trying to rob a federal agent during an undercover firearm transaction Thursday.

Jeremy Jones, 19, Christopher Densmore, 22, and Carmell Massey, 20, are charged with attempted robbery and brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence.

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