Illinois continues population decline
More people left Illinois in the past year, the ninth consecutive year for population decline. The U.S. Census Bureau’s Vintage 2022 national and state population estimates released Thursday show just over 110,000 fewer people in Illinois on net than the year before.
Since 2014, the total estimated population loss is more than 516,000, larger than the populations of Aurora, Joliet and Naperville combined.
Flights canceled amid winter storm
Airports across the state are jam packed Thursday as many Illinoisans are trying to beat a major winter storm that will affect the state for the next 24 hours.
Over 400 flights have been canceled at O’Hare and 168 at Midway. The storm will drop several inches of snow in the Chicago area, then temperatures will fall and the winds will pick up. A wind chill advisory has been issued for most of Illinois.
More cannabis licenses
The Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation has announced the timeline for the next round of cannabis dispensary licenses.
Applications for the lottery will be accepted starting in January. This follows the release of 192 conditional dispensary licenses earlier this year, all to social equity applicants. Applicants must register as a business and provide certain basic information, such as the name of their organization, list of principal officers, and a $250 fee.
