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CBS 2's extensive reporting as part of its "Working for Chicago" series continues to uncover how the state's system for applying for and processing unemployment claims is not only overwhelmed, but incapable of handling the extraordinary number of new claims from the beginning.
But for every 10 layoffs, three new jobs are created. CBS 2 is still tracking new openings in the Chicago area.
Illinois hired 140 people to handle the flood of applications for unemployment benefits, but applicants are still being blocked from getting money they desperately need because the system that can't seem to handle simple mistakes.
Finding a job is never easy, especially when you're looking with more than 30 million Americans out of work.
Jessica Wozniczka has been denied unemployment assistance because she left a job to take a new job that never materialized due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Jill Schlesinger, certified financial planner and CBS News business analyst, looks at how to devise a game plan for paying bills when money is tight.
Illinois State Rep. Terri Bryant (R-Murphysboro) said a constituent in her district made her aware of the data breach, after inadvertently accessing a spreadsheet with names and personal information for thousands of unemployment applicants.
Governor JB Pritzker announced a new plan, using state resources, to help people get back to work.
Illinois state officials on Thursday launched Get Hired Illinois – a new web portal to connect workers with job and career training opportunities as unemployment skyrockets during the coronavirus pandemic.
We have told you story after story of people trying to get mistakes fixed by the state's unemployment benefits office.
As job losses pile up during the pandemic CBS 2 is Working For Chicago to help you bounce back.
It's hard enough navigating the state's unemployment process, but losing your job in the pandemic can be especially tough if you're one of the most vulnerable people during this time – senior citizens.
How could someone who currently goes to work every day for the state get approved for unemployment benefits?
The state's unemployment benefits system was designed to catch fraudsters trying to collect benefits to which they are not entitled. If they get a birth date or other critical information wrong, they get blocked from getting the money.
At the age of 24, Francy Sandoval has unwittingly become the sole breadwinner for her family, after her mom, dad and brother — a nanny, a painter and a server — all lost their jobs in the coronavirus pandemic.
They expected to wait a few weeks for unemployment benefits, but now it has been two months.
Economists predict Friday's April National Jobs Report will be the single worst in history.
There are 34% less job openings in Chicago, according to Jobfeed. So, who's hiring?
Gov. JB Pritzker on Thursday admitted that the Illinois unemployment system is "unfit to handle surge."
"I have a life. I have bills to pay. I'm stuck. I'm really stuck."
"Every day we learn stories of individuals, some of whom are turning to food pantries for the very first time in their lives."
The U.S. Department of Labor estimates 74,476 new unemployment claims were filed during the week of April 27 in Illinois.
Career coach Lynee Alves is helping with resumes and providing the resume layout dos and don'ts.
They've waited weeks and weeks for help, but starting Monday, Illinois gig workers should start receiving unemployment benefits.
Through CBS 2's commitment to Working for Chicago, we dig into problems Illinoisans face when applying for and receiving unemployment benefits.
A man and woman were injured in a drive-by shooting near an apartment on Chicago's West Side on Thursday night.
The Lincoln-Way East High School board voted to allow six students accused of racially harassing students from Homewood-Flossmoor to withdraw.
An unusual charge on an insurance letter led a woman to a bizarre medical office where mountains of unopened mail pile up and no employees have ever been seen.
One year since a Humboldt Park restaurant owner was detained by federal immigration agents and later deported to his native Pakistan, his family said they are still raising awareness of his case and the impact his separation has had on them.
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.
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.
A man has been arrested and charged with murder for the fatal shooting of an OEMC employee in West Ridge in February.
Anjanette Young joins Audrina Sinclair and Dana Kozlov on CBS News Chicago.
Six students from Lincoln-Way East High School in Frankfort, Illinois, accused of racially harassing students from Homewood-Flossmoor, are now leaving the school.
Meteorologist Shane Hinton has the extended forecast.
Chief meteorologist Albert Ramon has the latest First Alert Weather forecast.
Six students from Lincoln-Way East High School in Frankfort, Illinois, accused of racially harassing students from Homewood-Flossmoor, are now leaving the school.
The man charged with murder for the fatal shooting of an OEMC employee in West Ridge in February is expected in court on Friday.
An unusual charge on an insurance letter led a woman to a bizarre medical office where mountains of unopened mail pile up and no employees have ever been seen.
A man and woman were injured in a drive-by shooting near an apartment on Chicago's West Side on Thursday night.
One year since a Humboldt Park restaurant owner was detained by federal immigration agents and later deported to his native Pakistan, his family said they are still raising awareness of his case and the impact his separation has had on them.
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.
