(SPRINGFIELD) The Illinois Department of Employment Security announced that unemployment increased to 5 percent. The May revised unemployment rate was 4.9 percent. The national unemployment rate was 4.1 percent in June, up slightly from the previous month. The number of unemployed workers in the state was 327,900, up over 3 percent from the prior month, and up nearly 19 percent over the same month one year ago.
(MOLINE) Farm equipment maker John Deere says it will no longer sponsor “social or cultural awareness” events, becoming the latest major U.S. company to distance itself from diversity and inclusion measures after being targeted by conservative backlash. The move from the company known on Wall Street as Deere & Co. arrives just weeks after rural retailer Tractor Supply ended an array of its corporate diversity and climate efforts. Both announcements came after backlash piled up online from conservative activists.
(SPRINGFIELD) The box office for the Illinois State Fair remains open each weekday for in-person ticket sales from 8:00 to 5:00 each day. Tickets are available for all the special events, including the huge tractor & truck pulls, the monster truck race, the popular rodeo, and more, plus all the grandstand concerts available with a wide array of performers. For more information, go to the Illinois State Fair website at statefair.illinois.gov. The Illinois State Fair in Springfield is Thursday, August 8th, through Sunday, August 18th.
(SPRINGFIELD) Waterfowl hunters should mark their calendars for the upcoming blind drawings to be held at several public hunting areas in Illinois. The State Department of Natural Resources will host traditional blind drawings at various sites as waterfowl hunters must register in-person and must be present at the drawing immediately afterwards to claim their blind sites. The drawings will take place July 27th and 28th around the state.