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Illinois' unemployment system continues to fail the people out of work in Illinois. CBS 2 Investigator Dorothy Tucker set out to get the answers taxpayers deserve from top managers at the Illinois Department of Employment Security.
Illinois' unemployment claims were among 778,000 total filed across the country last week.
For months as the COVID-19 pandemic has raged on, CBS 2 has been Working for Chicago with reporting that uncovers failures in the Illinois unemployment system.
For months, we've uncovered issue after issue with the state's Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program, which was set upspecifically for gig workers during the pandemic.
Scammers can get your Social Security number and use it to unlock your unemployment benefits – even if you're still gainfully employed.
Illinois' estimated claims were among 742,000 total filed across the country last week.
Calls to local crisis centers are skyrocketing – as the stress of the coronavirus pandemic coupled with job loss stress drives some to a breaking point.
We've done many stories on folks out of work who can't get the benefits they should, and others on scammers – ripping off all of us by getting cash they don't deserve. On Friday, CBS 2's Tim McNicholas introduced us to a suburban woman experiencing double trouble.
An Illinois Department of Employment Security office in North Aurora has reopened to workers, after it was forced to close due to numerous COVID-19 cases.
Illinois' estimated claims were among 709,000 total filed across the country last week.
"Fifty-five percent of the small businesses right now may not reopen post-COVID."
Because of a COVID-19 outbreak at a local Illinois unemployment office, one Illinois Department of Employment Security employee said workers are dropping like flies.
On Friday night, new accusations surfaced saying the state did nothing to stop tens of thousands of dollars in unemployment fraud targeting a single small business.
Gov. JB Pritzker said the state's unemployment system is working better than before. But can it handle another spike in claims – especially when more than 100,000 people who filed over the past seven months are still waiting?
We continue to hear from people who are desperate for help, but who are just stuck waiting for a callback from the state's unemployment office – in one case for six weeks.
Nearly 2 million people have filed for unemployment in Illinois since early March, and there is no doubt that servers and bar staff are going to add to those numbers as COVID-19 indoor dining bans take effect.
There were 751,000 new claims filed across the country last week.
The report flags Illinois as one of the states having big problems with unemployment fraud, specifically stating Illinois is one of the states that could have done more earlier to verify identities.
The Illinois Department of Employment Security reported 46,948 new unemployment claims were filed across the state last week, the week of Oct. 12.
In an economy beset by pandemic-induced hardship, why is Wall Street thriving while Main Street is struggling?
Hundreds of thousands of Illinois' gig workers, contractors, or self-employed workers have applied for jobless benefits due to COVID-19. And for months, we're been hearing horror stories from applicants who say they haven't seen a dime.
There were 898,000 new claims filed across the country last week.
Spending from the first round of stimulus propped up the economy. But that money is gone, and more stimulus is unlikely in the coming weeks.
Dealing with unemployment fraud is already a major headache, but having that fraud possibly affect your credit score?
A transgender veteran is fighting a battle to get unemployment benefits, saying her transition is keeping her from getting any money.
This year's Bears team has earned a high-stakes nickname – the "Cardiac Bears" – thanks to seven 4th quarter comeback victories, and that moniker might be truer than you know.
The University of Illinois Board of Trustees voted to raise tuition, housing and student fees at both the Urbana-Champaign and Chicago campuses.
A Cook County judge ruled Thursday that key witness testimony from a firearms expert will be allowed in the trials of three men accused in the murder of Chicago police officer Areanah Preston.
Illinois has certainly never been referred to as the sunshine state – but why is Chicago so cloudy, especially during the wintertime?
A Chicago Department of Streets and Sanitation tow truck driver has been charged with stealing at least three vehicles while he was on the job.
The ICE agent involved in the fatal shooting could try to invoke immunity under the Constitution's Supremacy Clause to try to end state criminal prosecution.
President Trump threatened Thursday to invoke the Insurrection Act to quell anti-ICE protests in Minnesota. He previously threatened to do so in Chicago, but never followed through.
Venezuelan opposition leader María Machado previously said she wanted to "share" the prize for removing Nicolás Maduro from power.
The Trump administration reversed cuts to grants for mental health and addiction treatment programs that a CBS News source said were valued at around $1.9 billion.
In 2023, life expectancy in the Loop was 87.3 years, while in West Garfield Park, life expectancy was just 66.6 years, according to the city's Health Department.
Police in the west Chicago suburb of Geneva are warning of a scam involving spoofed phone numbers.
Protesters on Tuesday were cranking up the heat on Peoples Gas over a recently proposed rate hike that would add an additional $10 to $11 a month to utility bills.
A lawsuit filed late last month took Chicago-based McDonald's to task over the McRib sandwich, calling its name a form of false advertising.
As this holiday season nears its end, Illinois Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias issued a warning Tuesday about text scams.
A new report shines a light on electricity shortages that Illinois could face in less than 10 years.
Roughly 1.4 million fewer Americans have signed up for an Affordable Care Act plan as expiring tax breaks drive up premiums.
January is Radon Action Month, and the Cook County Department of Public Health is urging residents to test their homes for radon.
Severe flu season is sending many people to hospital emergency rooms across the country, including in the Chicago area.
Unionized health care workers this week took aim at Northwestern Medicine, saying the health care system needs to hire more people before expanding the emergency room at Northwestern Memorial Hospital.
The Illinois Department of Public Health announced Tuesday that its recommendations for childhood vaccines will not be affected by a change in federal guidelines.
United Airlines flight attendants picketed outside Chicago's Willis Tower Thursday morning as they fought for a new contract.
WSCR-AM, 670 The Score, will begin a simulcast on 104.3 FM next month.
Does the Chicago Bears' dramatic improvement this season, culminating in their first playoff run in five years, change the discussion about where they will build a new stadium?
The Piggery, a popular barbecue restaurant and bar in the northwest corner of Chicago's Lakeview neighborhood, announced Thursday that it is going out of business.
The Lincolnwood Town Center mall in the north Chicago suburb of Lincolnwood has been sold to a developer, the village announced Wednesday.
Scott Adams, the cartoonist who created the "Dilbert" comic strip, has died at the age of 68, his first ex-wife revealed on Tuesday.
Here is everything you need to know about how to watch and stream the 2026 Golden Globes.
Bob Weir wrote or co-wrote and sang lead vocals on Grateful Dead classics including "Sugar Magnolia," "One More Saturday Night" and "Mexicali Blues."
Chicago Theatre Week brings value-priced tickets for shows from Feb. 5 until Feb. 15 at Chicago's stage venues. Tickets can sell for $30, $15, or even less.
Isiah Whitlock Jr. is perhaps best known for his role as state Sen. R. Clayton "Clay" Davis on HBO's "The Wire."
The latest seven day forecast from our First Alert Weather team.
Spotify is raising prices for its monthly ad-free subscribers in February.
Verizon is giving those impacted by Wednesday's outage a $20 account credit through Verizon's app, which on average “covers multiple days of service,."
Kristen Pierce-Sherrod, the CEO of Harold's Chicken and the daughter of founder Harold Pierce, has died, according to her family.
In and out in minutes using sledgehammers and prybars to break into businesses. That's how burglars have been carriyng out a series of thefts all over the city.
Three former DePaul University basketball players are among 26 players charged in an NCAA men's basketball game fixing scheme.
President Trump threatened Thursday to invoke the Insurrection Act to quell anti-ICE protests in Minnesota. He previously threatened to do so in Chicago, but never followed through.
Chicago police have issued a community alert on a string of burglaries this week targeting businesses from the north lakefront to the Southwest Side.
A driver was killed in a crash involving a car and a school bus was just outside Manhattan, Illinois, southwest of Chicago on Thursday morning.
A Cook County judge ruled Thursday that key witness testimony from a firearms expert will be allowed in the trials of three men accused in the murder of Chicago police officer Areanah Preston.
Lead-based paint was banned for serious health reasons in 1978, but most homes built before then remain covered in it.
Fire department officials in Chicago's western suburbs said drone technology has been helping keep firefighters safe and make a major impact on public safety.
With the stores becoming a common target for thieves, some of the stores in the Chicago area are taking new steps to fight back.
As thousands of people are expected downtown for New Year's Eve celebrations, Mayor Johnson, the Chicago police, and the Office of Emergency Management and Communications are trying to get out ahead of any safety concerns.
Cameras not working, video evidence missed by police and a psychic that leads a hit and run victim's son to a clue that changes the case
The Chicago Cubs introduced third baseman Alex Bregman at Wrigley Field on Thursday, after signing him to a $175 million, five-year contract.
Authorities said the alleged scheme involved 39 players, 17 different NCAA Division I men's basketball teams and 29 games.
Kylan Boswell had 13 points and six assists for Illinois, which used its superior size to outscore Northwestern 34-18 in the paint.
The Chicago Bulls overcame Brice Sensabaugh's career-high 43 points to beat the Utah Jazz 128-126 on Wednesday night.
With a tough divisional matchup with the Rams coming up on Sunday, they are ready to mute all the cheesehead chatter.
Chicago police have issued a community alert on a string of burglaries this week targeting businesses from the north lakefront to the Southwest Side.
Burglars broke into a bar in Chicago's Rogers Park neighborhood early Thursday morning.
A teen stood charged Thursday with shooting a young woman in the mouth in Chicago's South Shore neighborhood earlier this week.
A man is dead, and two others were injured after a shooting in Chicago's Morgan Park neighborhood.
Federal prosecutors announced Wednesday that they have charged a registered nurse to giving counterfeit Ozempic to patients in Chicago.
