More Illinois Black, Latino business owners receive marijuana retail licenses
The state issued 149 retail licenses on Friday, more than doubling the number of pot shops statewide.
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The state issued 149 retail licenses on Friday, more than doubling the number of pot shops statewide.
Applicants have to finish their compliance checks before they can get their licenses.
"Black and Brown entrepreneurs are just sitting on the sidelines watching," said Akele Parnell, who won one of 185 new marijuana dispensary licenses being issued by the state after a lengthy court battle.
Despite promises of equity, legal red tape has crushed some Illinois marijuana businesses before they've even started. CBS 2's Charlie De Mar reports.
Despite promises of equity, legal red tape has crushed some businesses before they've even started.
"For us not to be open on this 4/20 is extremely frustrating."
CBS 2's Marie Saavedra talked with festival organizer Abigail Watkins.
The marijuana-friendly Waldos Forever Festival is set for Saturday – marking the first time it has been held since marijuana has been legal in Illinois for recreational use. CBS 2's Marie Saavedra talked with organizer Abigail Watkins.
April 20 may be just another day for some, but for others, it's 4/20 – an homage to marijuana.
The State of Illinois made $131 million last month alone in legal weed sales – but none of that marijuana was grown or produced by new state license winners trying to break into the industry.
The State of Illinois made $131 million last month alone in legal weed sales – but none of that marijuana was grown or produced by new state license winners trying to break into the industry. CBS 2's Tara Molina reports.
CBS 2's Tara Molina talked to two cannabis license winners who have been held up waiting to open their own businesses.
This St. Patrick's Day, the State of Illinois released an update on another kind of green – the billions of dollars in legalized weed sold in Illinois without one new license winner cleared to open in more than two years.
This St. Patrick's Day, the State of Illinois released an update on another kind of green – the billions of dollars in legalized weed sold in Illinois without one new license winner cleared to open in more than two years. CBS 2's Tara Molina talked to two entrepreneurs who remain in limbo.
Nearly $2.5 billion has poured into Illinois since recreational marijuana became legal in 2020, and with every sale, part of the tax goes to help fund community organizations.
This story is about a lottery winner – but it doesn't involve little white balls or scratch-off tickets.
Recreational marijuana sales continue to break records in Illinois, but the same companies have continued to cash in – until now.
Starting Monday, an activist group plans to stage a weeklong sit-in outside a marijuana dispensary, demanding reparations for ex-convicts who were put away for a drug that has now been made legal.
The contents of an evidence table tweeted out by the Cook County Sheriff's police on Wednesday seemed to show an assortment of packaging for familiar candy you might have received at Halloween as a kid – Nerds, Jolly Ranchers, Sweet Tarts, Starburst, Skittles. But take a closer look.
It has been more than a year since Illinois legalized and not one new operator has been given the green light to open up shop.
Marijuana sales in Illinois topped out at more than $108 million between recreational and medical dispensaries last month, state officials said Monday.
They did everything right – secured a space, put the money up, and now they're waiting for a marijuana license.
The lottery for licenses to run cannabis dispensaries in Illinois is set to happen in the next few weeks.
Since legalizing marijuana in Illinois the state has raked in millions in revenue, but as Illinois moved forward with handing out its first round of new licenses, many aren't convinced there is social equity in the pot game.
In the first six months of legal recreational marijuana, the State of Illinois raked in $52 million in taxes.
A Wisconsin judge on Tuesday refused to step aside as requested by President Donald Trump's former attorney, who faces a felony forgery case related to the 2020 election in the battleground state.
Emmy Award-winning journalist Tony Dokoupil will anchor the "CBS Evening News" beginning on Jan. 5, 2026.
Shots were fired at two off-duty Cook County Sheriff's deputies outside Mount Sinai Hospital on Wednesday morning.
Part of I-57 is shut down due to a shooting investigation early Wednesday morning.
Chicago police shot and killed a man while investigating a stolen car in the Arcadia Terrace neighborhood on Tuesday night.
A Wisconsin judge on Tuesday refused to step aside as requested by President Donald Trump's former attorney, who faces a felony forgery case related to the 2020 election in the battleground state.
Majority Leader John Thune announced that the Senate will vote on a Republican-led measure alongside a Democratic bill to extend expiring tax credits.
President Donald Trump's former attorney in battleground Wisconsin is alleging that a judge presiding over his case and that of two other Trump aides charged with felonies related to the 2020 election is guilty of misconduct and must step aside.
An Indiana State Senate committee advanced a proposed new congressional map after hearings Monday, after months of contentious debate and pressure from the Trump administration.
The Justice Department can release investigative materials from a sex trafficking case against Ghislaine Maxwell, the longtime confidant of Jeffrey Epstein, a federal judge ruled.
A condo owner in Country Club Hills says he's forced to sell his home after his condo association failed to reimburse him for repairs to his leaking roof. Edward Hadnott's condo has sat empty since a major roof leak in 2022.
The U.S. stopped minting pennies this week, and some groups have issued a warning about the headaches that can create for some businesses and consumers.
Why is one school in the west Chicago suburb of Lisle paying a water bill three times higher than another? The answer has to do with a private utility company.
The Food and Drug Administration is warning about additional cookware brands that could be leaching lead into your food.
Walgreens said it will close its office space in Chicago's Old Post Office building.
The newest measles vaccination numbers released by Chicago Public Schools shows immunizations are finally moving in the right direction.
Two pregnant Black women recently faced alarming neglect at hospitals in Indiana and Texas, highlighting racial disparities in maternal care.
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker on Tuesday signed a bill aimed at protecting vaccine access in Illinois.
Roseland Community Hospital on Monday celebrated the opening of a new sickle cell treatment clinic.
Consumers with the imported pans should throw them away due to the severe health risks posed by lead, the agency warns.
A Culver's is coming to Chicago's South Loop, a real estate broker has confirmed.
A new vision for passenger rail is on track in southeastern Wisconsin. The MARK Passenger Rail Commission held its inaugural meeting on December 5, 2025, at Racine City Hall.
U.S. Steel says it'll resume making steel slabs at its Granite City Works plant in Illinois amid strengthening demand.
Traffic at O'Hare International Airport is growing faster than expected, and this has Chicago city leaders wanting to make big changes to future construction plans at the airport.
Small Business Saturday was disrupted by the winter storm for many business owners in Chicago, but in the Rogers Park neighborhood, a group of business owners came together to draw customers.
Paramount Skydance's $30 per share offer comes just days after Netflix agreed to buy parts of Warner Bros. in a deal valued at nearly $83 billion.
The nominations for the 2026 Golden Globes have been announced. Here are the nominees.
Landon Wallace, better known as Power 92 radio and Chicago Bulls mixer DJ Commando, died last week.
Thirty-five years after throngs headed to a theater near them to see "Home Alone," you can have a lovely cheese pizza, just for you, like Macaulay Culkin's Kevin McCallister character did.
Frank Gehry was known for designing the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao in Spain and the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles.
A shooting investigation was underway outside Mt. Sinai Hospital on Wednesday morning.
Chicago police shot and killed a man while investigating a stolen car in the Arcadia Terrace neighborhood on Tuesday night.
With the dropping temperatures, by mid-morning Wednesday, there will be a changeover from rain to a wintry mix to snow.
The report blames Instacart’s algorithmic pricing experiments. The AI model places different price tags on identical products without revealing it to consumers.
The scents are inspired by crisp apple, vintage cola, and ginger ale flavors. The company is randomly selecting 1,000 fans to receive a roll of wrapping paper and a 12-pack of the corresponding flavored soda.
Shots were fired at two off-duty Cook County Sheriff's deputies outside Mount Sinai Hospital on Wednesday morning.
A Chicago Border Patrol agent is facing federal charges for allegedly sexually assaulting four women at Chicago area hotels while on the job in 2022.
Rylee Parker discovered his goldendoodle, Cooper, was missing after his car was ransacked while he validated his parking.
Chicago police shot and killed a man while investigating a stolen car in the Arcadia Terrace neighborhood on Tuesday night.
A Wisconsin judge on Tuesday refused to step aside as requested by President Donald Trump's former attorney, who faces a felony forgery case related to the 2020 election in the battleground state.
A Chicago woman battling ALS said she's been struggling just to get a disabled parking space in front of her Bridgeport home.
Days after new Cook County Chief Judge Charles Beach ordered an urgent review of the county's electronic monitoring program, Sheriff Tom Dart said this crisis isn't new, and that he's been warning lawmakers of problems for years.
Charles Beach was sworn in on Monday as Cook County's first new chief judge in 24 years, and takes over amid a political firestorm over what appears to be systemic issues with how accused criminals are being monitored before trial.
Some Chicagoans found out the hard way on Monday that the overnight winter parking ban is in effect.
The electronic monitoring system in Cook County has come under increased scrutiny, after a woman was set on fire in a horrific arson attack on the Blue Line, with critics demanding answers as to why the suspect wasn't already behind bars.
ISU knocked off No. 1-ranked and defending champion North Dakota State in the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs.
Daniel Hardy, Cole Kmet, and Kyle Monangai volunteered with the Salvation Army to serve a BBQ holiday meal to shelter residents and others in need.
The Chicago White Sox will have the first overall pick in the 2026 Major League Baseball draft.
Despite Sunday's loss and losing the top spot in the NFC North, fans said they're confident the Bears will bounce back.
Leo Carlsson scored two goals and rookie Beckett Sennecke had a goal and an assist in the Anaheim Ducks' 7-1 victory over the road-weary Chicago Blackhawks.
A man stood charged with attempted murder Tuesday in a shooting involving a Chicago police officer in the Morgan Park neighborhood this past weekend.
A man died after being with multiple gunshot wounds in an alley in Chicago's North Lawndale neighborhood early Tuesday morning.
The Federal Transit Administration is demanding that the CTA take immediate action to improve safety or risk losing funding.
A man has been charged with setting a fire in the apartment building where he lived to cover up the shooting death of his roommate last month in Cicero, Illinois.
A man was charged with impersonating a police officer and other counts after a chain of events that led to gunfire from real police officers in Aurora, Illinois.
