ISACo

Parents starting on back-to-school shopping will get a temporary sales tax break for 10 days this month. From Friday, Aug. 7, through Aug. 16 the state’s sales tax on school supplies will be reduced from 6.25% to 1.25%. Items with a lower sales tax will include traditional supplies such as markers and pencils, notebooks and folders and other classroom items, as well as many clothing purchases.

Advocates urged the state to invest in community-based alternatives to nursing homes for people with disabilities before attempting to enter Gov. JB Pritzker’s Chicago office in the West Loop on Wednesday.

Small-town law enforcement agencies are adopting automated license plate readers, bringing new crime-fighting tools and new privacy debates to rural communities.

Illinois State Treasurer Michael Frerichs returned a record $307.8 million in missing money to more than 567,000 residents, businesses and organizations through the I-CASH program during Fiscal Year 2026. “Our changes to I-CASH allowed us to return more money to more people,” Frerichs said. “We are proud to set records, but we’re even more proud of helping folks. Reuniting people with money that rightfully belongs to them is even more important as inflation and decisions made by the Trump administration squeeze the average person and make food and gas harder to afford.”

The Illinois Department of Agriculture (IDOA) today announced the award recipients of the Local Food Infrastructure Grant Program, distributing nearly $4 million in fiscal year 2026 funding to support the continued expansion of Illinois’ local food system.