(SPRINGFIELD) With tariffs put on hold for the time being, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker is working the phones with officials from Mexico and Canada. The governor’s office says he spoke with the Consul General of Mexico last week regarding the economic relationship between Illinois and Mexico and about the importance of preserving trade sectors like agriculture and machinery. Pritzker also spoke with Canada’s ambassador to the U.S.
(SPRINGFEILD) Illinois U.S. Senator Dick Durbin is calling on major technology companies to take responsibility for preventing drug dealers from exploiting their platforms. Durbin referenced the recent case of 16 year old Cooper Davis, who died after buying a fentanyl-laced pill from a dealer on Snapchat. During last week’s hearing, Durbin said there is a bipartisan effort to pass the Cooper Davis Act, a bill that would require tech companies to take a proactive stance against the illicit sales of drugs to those living in the United States.
(SPRINGFIELD) Sales of cannabis in Illinois are at an all time high. The Illinois Department of Financial & Professional Regulation announced late last week that over $2 billion of cannabis products were sold statewide in 2024, a 2.5% increase from the previous year. The sales came from the 244 adult-use cannabis dispensaries in Illinois. According to the State Revenue Department, Illinois collected more than $490 million in sales taxes.
(CHICAGO) As announced prior to last night’s Superbowl, Virginia Halas McCaskey, the longtime owner and matriarch of the Chicago Bears, died last Thursday at the age of 102. McCaskey served as the owner of the Bears since her father and team founder, George Halas, died in 1983. Virginia was born in Chicago in 1923, the oldest of two children.