The dome of the Illinois State Capitol in Springfield, Illinois.

The dome of the Illinois State Capitol in Springfield, Illinois.

Another round of EV rebates

After the first round of the state of Illinois taking applications for taxpayer-funded electric vehicle rebates closes Sept. 30, the state will open a second round on Nov. 1. Taxpayers can apply for a $4,000 taxpayer-funded rebate on new electric vehicles and $1,500 on new all-electric motorcycles. Rebates must be applied for within 90 days of the vehicle's purchase date. The total program costs taxpayers nearly $18 million.

After the November midterm general elections in Illinois, voters in local races will have their sights on April for the consolidated elections. People vying for seats on city councils, village boards, townships, school boards, park districts and other local offices will be up for election. Candidates seeking to run in such races are already beginning to circulate their petitions across the state.

The newest justice appointed to the Illinois Supreme Court says while justices are up for election by voters, they need to strive to be nonpartisan. Justice Lisa Holder White is a Republican but said justices have to remain neutral arbiters of the law. While she’s up for a full term in 2024, there are three justice positions on the seven person court that voters will be asked about in November.

Republican state Sen. Darren Bailey received a $1 million political donation from Richard Uihlein Monday. Bailey faces incumbent Democrat J.B. Pritzker. That’s not the only big dollar donation as of late. Last week, the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America donated $1 million to the group Vote Yes for Workers Rights in support of the labor amendment on the November ballot.

Illinois' beer tax behind only Kentucky in region

With the exception of Kentucky, Illinois has the highest beer taxes of neighboring states. The nonpartisan Tax Foundation reviewed beer taxes across the country and found Illinois ranked 28th with 23 cents per gallon of beer. Missouri and Wisconsin had among the lowest taxes for beer at 6 cents a gallon. Kentucky came in at No. 4 with 89 cents per gallon. Tennessee was the highest in the country at $1.29 tax per gallon.

Illinois ranked 11th for union numbers

Illinois has the 11th highest number of unionized workers in the country. Stacker.com reviewed all 50 states and found Illinois has nearly 14% of the state’s workers as members of unions. Nearby Michigan ranked 12th in the country. All other neighboring states were further down in the rankings with Missouri and Indiana tied at No. 25, Wisconsin at No. 28 and Kentucky at No. 30. Iowa ranked No. 32.