Cook County Board Approves Proposed Sugary Beverages Tax
A penny-an-ounce tax on sugary and artificially sweetened drinks has been adopted by the Cook County Board of Commissioners in Chicago.
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A penny-an-ounce tax on sugary and artificially sweetened drinks has been adopted by the Cook County Board of Commissioners in Chicago.
County Board President Toni Preckwinkle said the sugary beverage tax would help close a $174 million budget gap and avoid layoffs.
The most controversial issue at the moment in Cook County politics is not even something on which you can vote Tuesday.
The price of a pop could go up next summer in Cook County. Board President Toni Preckwinkle has proposed a new tax on sweetened drinks in her budget address on Thursday.
Retailers were speaking out Wednesday amid published reports Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle is considering a new tax on sugary soft drinks, up to a penny an ounce.
Cook County has made a major upgrade to its official government website, and officials said it's truly user-friendly now.
Cook County government and healthcare officials on Tuesday applauded the American Medical Association's decision to declare gun violence is a public health crisis that requires federally funded research.
Dr. Stephen Cina took over in 2012 after the previous medical examiner resigned amid criticism that bodies were stacking up in the morgue. Preckwinkle says Cina took the office from "crisis to full accreditation."
It has sat vacant for nearly 15 years, and become a popular target for graffiti artists, but the old Cook County Hospital building could get new life as a hotel and apartment building, with stores at ground level.
A CBS 2 and Better Government Association investigation found that Cook County has failed to collect up to $20 million in fines for the tax violations.
When the office lost accreditation in 2011, there was a shortage of staff, and overcrowding that led to bodies being stacked on top of each other.
Members of the Cook County Board spoke to county department heads on Tuesday about how the state's budget impasse is affecting local services.
Cook County has launched a two-year program to try to better identify people who have trouble putting food on the table for their families and getting them help.
Civic leaders and representatives of the Christian, Jewish and Muslim communities came together today to denounce the anti-Muslim, anti-refugee sentiment that has been picking up steam around the country.
Ousted Chicago Police Supt. Garry McCarthy appeared Friday at a public event with his former boss, Mayor Emanuel, and Cook County State's Attorney Anita Alvarez.
The continued tension over the Laquan McDonald case was a hot topic Friday morning at an annual prayer breakfast attended by some of the state's leading politicians, business leaders, and clergy.
The head of the Chicago's official tourism agency has warned a planned Cook County hotel tax could hurt the city's convention industry, but Mayor Rahm Emanuel seemed less concerned.
Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle has said she has enough votes to approve a new countywide tax on ammunition for handguns and rifles.
There had been a lot of opposition to the amusement tax hike, which would have hit cable-television customers, bowlers, golfers and others involved with for-profit sports activities.
Three months after pushing through a plan to raise sales taxes by a penny on the dollar, Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle is seeking some more new taxes to balance the budget next year.
The Inspector General's 15-page report also refers to Cook County's animal control unit as "efficiently operated," but says there is an "over-reliance on euthanasia."
Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle met with a group of anti-violence activists on the South Side on Wednesday, and announced the county would spend $500,000 on so-called "restorative justice" programs in an effort to help prevent ex-cons from going back to court or jail, and to curb violent crime.
Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle was making her final pitch for a sales tax hike, as the Cook County Board met Wednesday to debate a tax increase she railed against five years ago.
Board President Toni Preckwinkle is seeking to reinstate the tax -- first enacted during the administration of predecessor Todd Stroger -- primarily to cover the county's pension shortfall.
Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle said Tuesday she will present a preliminary budget plan that includes a proposal to increase the county sales tax she spent years rolling back.
With Caleb Williams and Tyson Bagent both nursing injuries, it's looking like the Bears' third-string quarterback, Case Keenum, could be in for his first start since 2023.
The Chicago Department of Public Health on Wednesday launched its first "street psychiatry" teams, in an effort to provide mental health services to some of the city's most vulnerable people.
The McHenry County Marine Unit did not have patrols on the Fox River and part of the Chain O' Lakes for more than 20 weekends this summer. After a fatal high-speed boat crash, the sheriff's office is now making plans to fix that shortage.
Mayor Brandon Johnson has proposed a one-year moratorium on new or expanded data centers in Chicago to come up with a plan for regulating the controversial facilities, but one alderman is pushing to move faster on regulating the industry.
Dozens of people officially became American citizens at a ceremony at Wrigley Field Wednesday.
Mayor Brandon Johnson has proposed a one-year moratorium on new or expanded data centers in Chicago to come up with a plan for regulating the controversial facilities, but one alderman is pushing to move faster on regulating the industry.
A federal judge signaled he is skeptical of President Trump's ban on CNN, MS NOW and Politico from White House grounds.
Chicago U.S. Rep. Delia Ramirez announced she is introducing a new bill that proposes dismantling the Department of Homeland Security and abolishing ICE and redirecting their funding to more social services.
Sendhil Revuluri is running for Board of Education president because, in his words, "we need to put our students at the center of everything we're doing.
The Justice Department claimed that reporting from CNN, MS NOW and Politico raises national security concerns and accused their journalists of failing to act with "professionalism and decorum."
Scammers are now impersonating the patient portal MyChart, using realistic-looking emails, texts, and websites to try to steal personal information and, in some cases, get malware on your computer.
Fuel prices continue to climb across the country, and that has U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Illinois) pointing the finger at President Trump.
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.
The Chicago Department of Public Health on Wednesday launched its first "street psychiatry" teams, in an effort to provide mental health services to some of the city's most vulnerable people.
A new Illinois law lets terminally ill patients request a lethal prescription to end their lives, making the state the 13th in the U.S. — and the first in the Midwest — to permit it.
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.
McDonald's said Wednesday it will spend $8.5 billion over the next decade to modernize its restaurants globally.
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.
An autopsy by the Greenville County Coroner's Office determined Hayden Panettiere's death was due to an accidental overdose of several drugs, including fentanyl.
Nike-owned Converse acknowledged that an ad for its Chuck Taylor sneaker is "deeply upsetting."
Presley Gerber, the son of Cindy Crawford and Rande Gerber, has died at 27, a family spokesperson has confirmed.
Duncan Sheik died on Thursday night, his family said.
Aaron Rowe, Beoga, Lukas Graham and Finneas all released statements Tuesday on Instagram saying they were withdrawing from Ed Sheeran's tour.
The Chicago Bears still don't know who their starting quarterback will be on Monday night against the Philadelphia Eagles, but with Caleb Williams and Tyson Bagent both nursing injuries, it's looking like third-stringer Case Keenum could be in for his first start since 2023.
Chief meteorologist Albert Ramon has the latest First Alert Weather forecast.
The Chicago Department of Public Health on Wednesday launched its first "street psychiatry" teams, in an effort to provide mental health services to some of the city's most vulnerable people.
A Mundelein, Illinois, high school teacher and volleyball coach appeared in court Wednesday morning on charges of making an unauthorized video recording of a minor.
The McHenry County Marine Unit did not have patrols on the Fox River and part of the Chain O' Lakes for more than 20 weekends this summer. After a fatal high-speed boat crash, the sheriff's office is now making plans to fix that shortage.
Boise police have identified a man known as the "Unknown Wanderer" who was found dead in a church in 1982, and revealed a possible link to the Chicago Tylenol murders.
Scammers are now impersonating the patient portal MyChart, using realistic-looking emails, texts, and websites to try to steal personal information and, in some cases, get malware on your computer.
Mayor Brandon Johnson has proposed a one-year moratorium on new or expanded data centers in Chicago to come up with a plan for regulating the controversial facilities, but one alderman is pushing to move faster on regulating the industry.
The Chicago Department of Public Health on Wednesday launched its first "street psychiatry" teams, in an effort to provide mental health services to some of the city's most vulnerable people.
The McHenry County Marine Unit did not have patrols on the Fox River and part of the Chain O' Lakes for more than 20 weekends this summer. After a fatal high-speed boat crash, the sheriff's office is now making plans to fix that shortage.
Crown Point native Chris Payne was arrested for the 2018 sexual assault of a woman, which he has adamantly claimed from the beginning that he had nothing to do with.
A Chicago nonprofit is suing its former president, accusing him of illegally diverting millions of dollars in charitable funds and jeopardizing the charity's future in fighting homelessness.
They're not regular donuts, they're quantum donuts. That's the pitch from a business hoping to get more dough as a massive new quantum computing campus continues construction in South Chicago.
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.
With Caleb Williams and Tyson Bagent both nursing injuries, it's looking like the Bears' third-string quarterback, Case Keenum, could be in for his first start since 2023.
Don Cooper, a former longtime Chicago White Sox pitching coach and 2005 World Series champion, has died at the age of 70.
The Cubs (87-70) could have clinched a playoff berth with a win or an Arizona loss, but the Diamondbacks won 7-2 at Colorado.
Gabriela Jaquez and Sydney Taylor scored 18 points apiece and Kamilla Cardoso added 17.
Brenton Doyle and Munetaka Murakami added home runs for the White Sox, who also helped their wild-card cause should they fail to catch Cleveland.
Boise police have identified a man known as the "Unknown Wanderer" who was found dead in a church in 1982, and revealed a possible link to the Chicago Tylenol murders.
A Mundelein, Illinois, high school teacher and volleyball coach appeared in court Wednesday morning on charges of making an unauthorized video recording of a minor.
A third person stood charged Wednesday in an incident in which a man was shoved off a Chicago Transit Authority Red Line train and killed.
Harvey Weinstein, the disgraced movie mogul, was sentenced to 15 years in prison Wednesday morning for sexually assaulting Miriam Haley at his Manhattan apartment in 2006.
A driver has been charged with murder after police said he intentionally hit two pedestrians on Sunday in southwest suburban Yorkville, killing one of them.
