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They want to understand who you are, why you are calling them, how you got their contact information. They have a lot of questions. They are concerned about their well being and their safety."
"May is our largest month so if I can make some decent numbers in May that would set me up for the whole year."
We exposed Wednesday night how few people are working the phones in Illinois to help those struggling to get through to finish filing for unemployment. On Thursday night, we were happy to report that number is getting a much needed boost.
A handful of publicly-traded companies headquartered in Illinois were approved for the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan, aimed at helping small businesses keep their workforce during the coronavirus pandemic.
The $100 million Chicago Resiliency Fund is meant to throw businesses a lifeline, and the deadline to apply for a grant is coming up on Friday.
"Yes it's absolutely frightening, I have to say."
As CBS 2 Investigator Pam Zekman found out, a simple mistake could mean you can't collect your cash.
People in need of unemployment benefits and their situations are growing direr by the day. We have uncovered what is behind some of the madness, and it's simple.
"It has an impact on the viability of the entire community."
With bills and rent due, she made yet another effort. She emailed Illinois Governor JB Pritzker.
"You're not going to see as many people scooping ice cream at Dairy Queen."
CBS 2's Tara Molina took a look Tuesday night at why seasonal workers are the new wave of employees impacted.
The southwest suburban City of Darien has launched a generous plan to save jobs and restaurants amid the coronavirus shutdown, which some businesses say just might work.
"This is not is not a time to give up. This is a time to be resilient steadfast and persistent. Stay prepared so you don't have to get prepared."
The pandemic has also totally changed how the dispensaries that are still running are operating every day.
President Trump and top national security officials shed new light on the daring rescues of two American airmen who were shot down over Iran last week.
A U.S. crew member who went missing when an F-15E fighter jet was shot down over a remote area of Iran has been rescued by U.S. forces.
President Trump ordered the Department of Homeland Security to find a way to pay "each and every employee" of the agency.
The Illinois Accountability Commission is asking the federal officials who ran Operation Midway Blitz to testify at two hearings on federal agents' tactics during last year's immigration crackdown in Chicago.
Officials from 23 states and the District of Columbia filed a lawsuit seeking to block President Trump's executive order that aims to restrict mail voting.
A passenger on an American Airlines flight from New York to Chicago has been charged with making a false bomb threat that forced an emergency landing at Detroit Metro Airport last month, according to a federal criminal complaint.
Skyrocketing property taxes continue to be a hot-button issue in Cook County — particularly since last fall, when many residents saw their tax bills increase by 100% or more.
Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias this weekend issued a warning about a surge in text messages that falsely claim to come from his office or the DMV within it.
Tenants at a South Loop luxury high-rise that has been plagued with problems like broken elevators are vowing to fight five-day eviction notices.
It's become an annual March Madness tradition at CBS Chicago, pitting our city's best eateries in direct competition in a foodie bracket challenge. We did pizza, we've done Italian beef, we've done Chicago dogs. This year, we're taking flight with wings.
Allergy season is here, and the dreaded pollen can trigger sneezing, congestion, wheezing, and shortness of breath.
Northwestern Medicine and the American Red Cross teamed up for a community blood drive in Chicago on Monday morning.
Ending domestic violence is the goal of groups and advocates all over the world, and some experts in Chicago say it is time to become less reactive and more proactive when it comes to the people causing harm.
A new Iowa law bans local nondiscrimination protections on the basis of gender identity after the state became the first in the U.S. to roll back its civil rights code last year.
Food containing norovirus may smell and taste normal but still cause serious illness if consumed, FDA warns.
A new restaurant has joined the busy stretch of Halsted Street toward the south end of Chicago's Lincoln Park neighborhood that is also home to Alinea and Boka.
The federal government is suing Illinois, Connecticut and Arizona over efforts to regulate prediction market operators such as Kalshi and Polymarket.
The owners of the popular Uncommon Ground restaurant, live music venue, and brewery in Chicago's Wrigleyville community announced this week that they're looking for a successor to take over the business.
Chicago consistently ranks in the top three cities in Fortune 500 company headquarters, and now a competition has been launched to build on Chicago's power in business.
The flagship Ann Sather restaurant on Belmont Avenue in Chicago's Lakeview community will be moving later this year, a restaurant representative said Tuesday.
"Beverly Hills, 90210" actress Tori Spelling was involved in a two-car crash in Temecula on Thursday night, according to her manager and Riverside County Sheriff's Office officials.
Chicago blues legend Muddy Waters' birthday is Saturday, and in his memory his eldest son is putting on a concert in Chicago.
A federal judge in New York has tossed out actor Blake Lively's sexual harassment claims against actor Justin Baldoni over their roles in the movie "It Ends With Us," but left intact a claim for retaliation.
Atlanta rapper Gucci Mane was lured to a Dallas studio for a meeting, then allegedly kidnapped and robbed by a group including rappers Pooh Shiesty and Big30.
When Jean-Luc Godard's "Hail Mary" opened in Chicago on April 4, 1986, it drew a throng of angry protesters who considered the film an affront to their faith.
Caribbean Airlines confirmed the passenger gave birth on Flight BW005, which took off from Kingston, Jamaica, on Saturday.
Some of the scams are sophisticated, using recognizable financial figures to lure people into investment schemes, such as "insider" memberships or websites cloned to look like legitimate institutions.
A study by Massachusetts General Hospital found that older adults who got the high-dose flu vaccine had 20% lower Alzheimer's and related dementia than those who received standard flu vaccines.
Chief Meteorologist Albert Ramon says cooler air ushers in on Tuesday with highs in the upper 30s to lower 40s.
The four-person crew aboard Artemis II documented parts of the moon never before seen by the human eye ... Surpassing the Apollo 13 distance record of 248,000 miles from Earth.
Village officials said the protest is all about a recent reduction in overtime pay for firefighters.
Truffles, the teddy bear, was stolen during the downtown Chicago teen takeover on Friday. The bear was found thanks to some help from the Chicago police.
This is Michigan's second NCAA title in school history, and the win ends a 26-year national championship drought for the Big Ten.
Gomez, 18, was hit and killed by a hit-and-run driver early Sunday morning while riding his bike to make deliveries, his family said.
The Artemis II crew flew further from Earth than any humans in history as they passed behind the far side of the moon.
A Morgan Park family is still in shock after a staggering 300% spike in their latest property tax bill, and the man poised to take over as Cook County Assessor at the end of the year says it's an error he wants to make sure doesn't happen again.
Researchers at the University of Chicago have built a "self-driving" lab that uses robotics and artificial intelligence to accelerate work that would take humans weeks or months to complete.
Johnson said the position was temporary, but when the chief homelessness officer was first appointed, she told CBS News Chicago that her role was funded for three years, not two.
A former stand-out college football star with a criminal history has been convicted of sexually abusing foster children who were in the care of a Chicago facility at the center of a massive investigation.
Two more women have filed lawsuits against Massage Envy, accusing the company of failing to protect them against sexual assaults by two of their therapists.
This is Michigan's second NCAA title in school history, and the win ends a 26-year national championship drought for the Big Ten.
Chicago lost at home for the first time this season as its three-game winning streak was snapped.
Nico Hoerner's two-run single with two outs in the second inning gave the Cubs a 2-0 lead.
The Chicago White Sox have rescheduled the start of their Tuesday game against the Baltimore Orioles from the evening to midday due to a cold forecast.
After missing the playoffs for the fourth year in a row, the Chicago Bulls have fired their top two executives, vice president Artūras Karnišovas and general manager Marc Eversley.
The woman accused of killing her on-and-off-again boyfriend and his parents in Chicago's south suburbs was due in court Monday.
Thieves stole an ATM in a crash-and-grab burglary at a BP gas station in Chicago's Uptown neighborhood early Monday.
A man shot and killed someone who came into his home and started charging at him in Chicago's South Deering community, police said early Monday.
A man was due in court Sunday after being arrested and charged with hitting a woman with a vehicle last week and then running off in Chicago's South Austin neighborhood.
A man was stabbed to death in a fight in Chicago's Washington Heights neighborhood early Sunday morning.
