Mike Moen

Construction is nearing for an 80-room, four-story Hampton Inn along I-88 and Annie Glidden Road in DeKalb. Mayor Kris Povlsen says the hotel may keep visitors from leaving the city to stay overnight in neighboring towns. 

There's a push in northern Illinois to introduce more young people to the world of finance. Some young adults in the Rockford-area will get a chance to learn about such careers. 

A constitutional amendment for Illinois will appear on the November ballot. The proposed change has to do with increasing pension benefits for public workers.

Three bills stand out among those receiving attention Wednesday in the Illinois Legislature.  One has to do with health-insurance costs for state retirees.  Another is in response to the comptroller scandal in Dixon.  The third seeks to end the scandal-plagued legislative scholarship program. 

Rockford-based Swedish American Health System has announced layoffs and job position eliminations to stay in the black,  citing potential reductions to reimbursement rates under the state's Medicaid program.