Illinois quick hits: Gas prices continue slow climb

By Jim Talamonti | The Center Square
The Center Square

Gas prices continue slow climb

The average price for a gallon of regular unleaded gasoline in Illinois is 85 cents higher than it was a year ago.

According to AAA, the average price on Friday was $4.26 per gallon, up from $4.15 one week ago and up from $3.41 on July 24, 2025.

Every state bordering Illinois has an average price below $3.89. The gas tax in the Land of Lincoln is 48.3 cents per gallon.

Inspector: Chicago accurately reported spending on migrants

The Chicago Office of Inspector General has published an explainer report on city services provided to more than 46,000 migrants and asylum seekers between Aug. 31, 2022, and Dec. 31, 2024.

The OIG review found that the city’s reported expenditure of more than $639 million in funds from city taxpayers and grants was accurate and transparent, with only $50,916 in transactions that should have been included but were omitted.

Inspector General David Glockner said the city followed established procurement processes. Mayor Brandon Johnson appointed Glockner as IG in April of this year.

Obama Center subcontractor shuts down

Just over a month after the Obama Presidential Center opened in Chicago, a subcontractor who previously claimed his company was stiffed by nearly $4 million has shut down operations and laid off 25 union workers.

Mike Owen, the owner of Chicago-based Adamson Plumbing Contractors, told Fox News Digital that the financial fallout forced the company to abandon about half a dozen other construction jobs and left it on the verge of collapse.

The estimated $850-million Obama Center is privately funded, but taxpayers provided millions of dollars worth of infrastructure improvements in the area surrounding the development.

Report: Tariffs raised costs on Illinoisans

According to a study by the Midwest Economic Policy Institute and the Project for Middle Class Renewal at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, tariffs imposed by the Trump Administration in 2025 raised costs for the average Illinois household by $2,200.

The report suggested that states could address the situation by enhancing unemployment benefits and clawing back tax incentives and tax cuts from businesses that lay off workers.