Some Businesses Reopen, But Others Wait For Official Guidance
"May is our largest month so if I can make some decent numbers in May that would set me up for the whole year."
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"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.
Dr. Liana Tremmel, a dentist, was denied a PPP loan for her Regency Dental Care.
A day after Mayor Brandon Johnson's revised renter protection ordinance got the backing of a key City Council committee, a group of aldermen advanced a dueling proposal, setting up a potential showdown next week.
Two months after Chicago Police Supt. Larry Snelling retired, some members of the City Council are pushing to hold off on appointing a permanent replacement until after next year's mayoral election.
Reps. Zach Nunn and Mariannette Miller-Meeks reversed course on a House resolution to require congressional approval for continued military action against Iran, citing open-ended war concerns ahead of competitive midterm races.
A City Council committee on Wednesday backed Mayor Brandon Johnson's proposal to increase protections for Chicago renters, after he dropped a key provision opposed by landlords, but the mayor's critics plan to press on with a competing proposal.
Illinois' senior senator, the Judiciary Committee's top Democrat, opened Tuesday's oversight hearing by accusing the director of turning the bureau's powers against President Trump's political opponents.
Nicor customers will get a break on their bills this fall after Illinois Attorney General Kwame Roul reached an agreement with the utility to cut $140 million from its requested rate hike.
Drivers in Chicago and beyond were paying the highest gas prices ever recorded for the Labor Day holiday as millions of Americans were making their way home on Monday.
Around 115 million domestic and international tourists visited Illinois last year, pushing visitor spending past $50 billion for the first time and generating more than $88 billion in total economic impact.
Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul filed a lawsuit Thursday against ABC Plumbing, Heating, Cooling & Electric Inc., alleging deceptive business practices.
Cook County homeowners are again facing a sharper increase in property taxes this year than businesses, the Office of Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas announced Monday.
Nearly half of Americans with medical debt owe at least $2,000, forcing them to make tough choices, new research shows.
A judge on Tuesday was expected to place two shuttered Chicago-area safety-net hospitals into receivership.
Cardinal Blase Cupich and a group of Catholic nuns have joined a federal lawsuit challenging Illinois' Medical Aid in Dying law, which is set to take effect in just over a week.
Flies have been everywhere this summer in the Chicago area, and some of them bite. But why is this happening?
Prime Healthcare is drawing criticism after announcing it will stop obstetrics services at three Chicago-area hospitals.
The future of Rate Field was back in the spotlight on Wednesday.
Plans for a new Chicago White Sox stadium in the South Loop have residents near the existing ballpark in Bridgeport concerned, not just because the team might be leaving, but also what might be coming nearby.
A new report from the University of Illinois Chicago said federal immigration enforcement led to $1.26 billion in unspent money at retail establishments and restaurants in Cook County.
Around 115 million domestic and international tourists visited Illinois last year, pushing visitor spending past $50 billion for the first time and generating more than $88 billion in total economic impact.
A new Whole Foods Market is coming to Chicago's Old Town neighborhood.
Aaron Rowe, Beoga, Lukas Graham and Finneas all released statements Tuesday on Instagram saying they were withdrawing from Ed Sheeran's tour.
Performer Macklemore is being dropped from Ed Sheeran's Loop tour after making on-stage statements that some found controversial.
Dubbed the "Designer to the Stars," Bob Mackie won nine Emmy Awards, a Tony Award and was nominated for three Oscars.
The stage was set and the air was humid as rapper Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, took the stage for the first of two Chicago concerts at Soldier Field Thursday night.
James Fulton Engstrom, now a healthy teenager, was born without a pulse in 2010 — and his survival is the miracle the Catholic Church credited to Fulton Sheen's intercession, clearing the way for beatification.
Two people were injured when a semi-trailer truck hauling steel beams hit the underside of the Lake Avenue bridge over the Edens Expressway near Wilmette on Thursday evening.
As Amtrak seeks to move its Chicago maintenance from the South Loop to Bridgeport, outraged neighbors of the proposed new site near Rate Field vented their frustration at a community meeting with railroad officials on Thursday.
Chicago Bears starting right tackle Darnell Wright returned to practice in a limited fashion on Thursday, a day after missing practice with a knee injury, but it's the defense that's getting some renewed focus after a rough opener against the Panthers.
The Chicago Blackhawks opened training camp with three-time Stanley Cup champion Patrick Kane back on the roster, bolstering their own hopes of returning to the postseason.
As Amtrak looks ahead to relocating its maintenance facility from the South Loop to Bridgeport, residents continue to push back and raise concerns about the future of the neighborhood. Amtrak is hosting a community meeting on the project on Thursday.
Key evidence from the Philadelphia "house of horrors" is being sent to Chicago for analysis and identification. Here's why.
The village of Grayslake is touting a new massive data center, but neighbors say they weren't given an opportunity to make their voices heard before the project was approved.
If you've collected a White Sox bobblehead, T-shirt, or hat at the gates in the last couple of decades, you might have a piece of graphic designer Toby Ramos' work without realizing it.
Cook County Crime Stoppers, a non-profit organization that offers monetary rewards to help police solve violent crimes, said they are running out of money and might be forced to close at the end of the year.
Two people were injured when a semi-trailer truck hauling steel beams hit the underside of the Lake Avenue bridge over the Edens Expressway near Wilmette on Thursday evening.
The village of Grayslake is touting a new massive data center, but neighbors say they weren't given an opportunity to make their voices heard before the project was approved.
A Cicero woman is suing Uber and a driver after the driver allegedly sexually assaulted her. She and her boyfriend said Uber hired him despite the driver having a criminal background.
Both hospitals were supposed to be placed in receivership, but after five hours of closed-door negotiations on Tuesday, it is still unclear what the future holds for both hospitals.
Chicago police crime data show 255 reported crimes in the last two years on the two blocks where the former Hard Rock and Rainforest cafés sit vacant. Neighbors have been calling the city about the alley between them for six years.
A three-year effort by the Cook County Sheriff's Office to help bring down crime on the Magnificent Mile in downtown Chicago appears to be working.
Munetaka Murakami hit his team-leading 32nd home run as the Chicago White Sox tied with Cleveland for first place in the AL Central with a 3-1 win over the Detroit Tigers.
Chicago Bears starting right tackle Darnell Wright returned to practice in a limited fashion on Thursday, a day after missing practice with a knee injury, but it's the defense that's getting some renewed focus after a rough opener against the Panthers.
The Chicago Blackhawks opened training camp with three-time Stanley Cup champion Patrick Kane back on the roster, bolstering their own hopes of returning to the postseason.
Armstrong homered to lead off the third, breaking Billy Williams' franchise record set in 1970.
Petey Halpin hit a three-run home run in the sixth inning, Parker Messick struck out eight and the Cleveland Guardians moved into first place in the AL Central with a 6-3 victory over the Chicago White Sox.
Three girls have been charged with threatening a school in the west Chicago suburb of Addison, with two of them making a video depicting a shooting at the school, authorities announced Wednesday.
A Zion man has been charged in the shooting death of another man in July in north suburban Ingleside.
Chicago police on Wednesday were looking for a man who attacked and beat another man and ordered his dog to bite the victim in the Edgewater neighborhood.
Shots were fired during a fight early Wednesday morning on busy Lincoln Avenue in Chicago's Budlong Woods neighborhood.
A judge allowed a school bus aide charged in connection with a shooting on a bus in Chicago's Bridgeport neighborhood to be released with conditions.
