IN THE NEWS

The Illinois Liquor Control Commission hasn’t issued any violations “on any grand scale” against liquor establishments violating COVID-19 orders. That’s according to the commission’s executive director. During the commission's Wednesday meeting, Executive Director...

With Schaumburg residents able to apply for one or more of the village's five video gambling cafe licenses after Jan. 1, officials are reducing the minimum size for such businesses and clarifying some of the other rules about their operation. Hotels and restaurants...

With a 2-4 vote Monday, village trustees reaffirmed video gaming within the village during a special meeting that lasted less than 17 minutes. Trustees Mary Beth Williams and Ben Maliszewski voted for reinstating the ban. The meeting was even more special because it...

It’s been six weeks since we checked in on the state’s new sin taxes —�recreational marijuana and sports betting — and money has been pouring into government coffers. Although COVID-19 is wreaking havoc on many other sectors of the economy, legal pot sales topped $75...

Gov. JB Pritzker Tuesday said new restrictions will be imposed on the entire state in the wake of the uncontrolled spread of COVID-19. Beginning Friday, the entire state will be under Tier 3 resurgence mitigations which include a ban on video gaming, the closure of...

Ald. Matt O’Shea’s endorsement helped propel Lightfoot’s landslide win last year, but that didn’t prevent his video gaming idea from being sent to the Rules Committee, a traditional burial ground for legislation the mayor opposes. Chicago would legalize video gaming...

The longer a shutdown of a sector of the state’s economy because of COVID-19 mitigation orders, the more significant the overall economic loss, especially if its’ prolonged for six months.  It’s compounded even more for border communities. Bars and restaurants across...

As COVID-19 steamrolls its way through Southern Illinois, local bar owners are scraping to keep up with mitigation measures, and some are finding technicalities in city code that are making things complicated. Walter Wit is the second owner of PK’s, one of...

City Council voted to increase the number of gaming terminals a business could have on Tuesday night. Instead of only having five terminals, businesses are now allowed to have six. That’s what state law allows, and what Champaign businesses are already allowed to...

Chicago points to record COVID-19 numbers as the reason to shut down indoor dining, but still, some of the city’s most popular restaurants said they are not the source of the spread. As CBS 2’s Marissa Parra reported Wednesday, the restaurateurs now claim they have...

The owners of FoxFire restaurant in Geneva plan to take their fight against an indoor dining ban to the Illinois Supreme Court.On Friday, Illinois' 2nd District Appellate Court ordered a reversal of Kane County Judge Kevin Busch's decision to grant a temporary...

A leading proponent of last year’s gambling expansion bill in Illinois is lamenting the lengthy approval process for licenses. State Senator Dave Syverson, R-Rockford, said the Illinois Gaming Board’s recent announcement that it could be six more months before they...