August 26, 2025/

Illinois quick hits: Record hotel tax revenues reported; grocer sentenced for SNAP, WIC fraud

Spread the love

By Jim Talamonti | The Center Square
The Center Square

Record hotel tax revenues reported

Illinois tourism numbers for 2024 saw an all-time high for hotel tax revenue.

The Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity’s Office of Tourism announced the state welcomed 113 million domestic and international visitors who spent more than $48 billion.

Total hotel tax revenue came in at $367 million, a 14% increase from the previous year.

Grocer sentenced for SNAP, WIC fraud

The owner of a Chicago grocery store has been sentenced to three and a half years in federal prison for fraudulently redeeming millions of dollars in benefits under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children.

Yousef Abu Alhawa, 50, of Lockport was also ordered to pay $8.9 million in restitution to the U.S. Treasury, the Internal Revenue Service, and the state of Illinois.

Alhawa pleaded guilty to wire fraud and tax charges last year.

Meth dealers sentenced

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Illinois has announced sentences for eight methamphetamine dealers in Effingham County and indictments for three other individuals accused of drug distribution.

Prison sentences of those convicted range from 60 to 144 months.

Leave a Comment





Latest News Stories

GOP congressional candidate calls single-stream recycling a ‘sham’

GOP congressional candidate calls single-stream recycling a ‘sham’

By Catrina Barker | The Center Square contributorThe Center Square (The Center Square) – Republican congressional candidate Angel Oakley says much of the material Americans place in recycling bins ultimately...
Minnesota GOP calls for removal of Rep. Gomez after 'sickening' exchange

Minnesota GOP calls for removal of Rep. Gomez after ‘sickening’ exchange

By Elyse ApelThe Center Square Minnesota House Republican leaders are calling for the removal of Rep. Aisha Gomez after a verbal altercation with Rep. Elliott Engen on the House floor...
Census: Majority of fastest growing cities in U.S. are in Texas

Census: Majority of fastest growing cities in U.S. are in Texas

By Bethany BlankleyThe Center Square Eight of the 15 fastest growing cities in the U.S. were reported in Texas, according to newly released U.S. Census Bureau data. Fort Worth also...
Michigan House Republicans demand Benson release SPLC records

Michigan House Republicans demand Benson release SPLC records

By Elyse ApelThe Center Square Michigan House Republicans passed a resolution calling on Michigan Secretary of State and Democrat gubernatorial candidate Jocelyn Benson to release records tied to her past...
Lone Tennessee U.S. House Democrat, Cohen, says he’s done

Lone Tennessee U.S. House Democrat, Cohen, says he’s done

By Alan WootenThe Center Square Rep. Steve Cohen, Tennessee’s lone Democrat in the U.S. House of Representatives, said Friday morning he will not seek reelection in the newly drawn 9th...
Illinois Quick Hits: Madigan: 'Accept the federal scholarship tax credit'

Illinois Quick Hits: Madigan: ‘Accept the federal scholarship tax credit’

By Sean Reed | The Center SquareThe Center Square (The Center Square) – Former Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan – from federal prison over corruption charges – penned an op-ed...
Lawmakers spar with Fairfax County leaders over sanctuary policies

Lawmakers spar with Fairfax County leaders over sanctuary policies

By Morgan SweeneyThe Center Square Lawmakers held another hearing on sanctuary policies Thursday, one of a series coinciding with President Donald Trump’s mass deportation efforts and a nationwide crackdown by...
Advocates call on tax reform to reduce national debt

Advocates call on tax reform to reduce national debt

By Andrew RiceThe Center Square Advocates called on lawmakers to redesign the United States’ tax system on Thursday in order to address the rising national debt. The national debt surpassed...
Supreme Court allows mail-order abortion drugs

Supreme Court allows mail-order abortion drugs

By Andrew RiceThe Center Square The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday ruled that women can continue to access abortion drugs through the mail without making an in-person doctor's visit, while...
McCuskey, coalition of AGs urge SEC to review OpenAI

McCuskey, coalition of AGs urge SEC to review OpenAI

By Chris Dickerson | Legal NewslineThe Center Square West Virginia Attorney General J.B. McCuskey has joined a coalition of 10 states in a letter to the U.S. Securities and Exchange...
Springfield strains for balanced budget; Illinois revenue forecast shifts down

Springfield strains for balanced budget; Illinois revenue forecast shifts down

By Sean Reed | The Center SquareThe Center Square (The Center Square) – Illinois is projected to see less tax income than state agencies previously expected due to a variety...
DOJ targets healthcare fraud in California, Arizona, Nevada

DOJ targets healthcare fraud in California, Arizona, Nevada

By Zachery SchmidtThe Center Square The U.S. Department of Justice has created a new task force to fight healthcare fraud in three Western states. The West Coast healthcare Fraud Strike...
Illinois Quick Hits: University of Chicago to offer free tuition

Illinois Quick Hits: University of Chicago to offer free tuition

By Sean Reed | The Center SquareThe Center Square (The Center Square) – University of Chicago, a private university, will begin to offer free tuition to families with an income...
Human capabilities focused in student, teacher artificial intelligence guide

Human capabilities focused in student, teacher artificial intelligence guide

By Alan WootenThe Center Square Teacher’s guide learning modules and self-assessment tools for students are part of the third annual Student Guide to Artificial Intelligence, a production of Elon University,...
U.S. House to vote on bills targeting fraudulent, foreign election donations

U.S. House to vote on bills targeting fraudulent, foreign election donations

By Thérèse BoudreauxThe Center Square The U.S. House committee that oversees election laws advanced multiple bills Thursday to stop fraudulent campaign donations and foreign influence in elections. Three of the...