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

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

August 26, 2025/
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

WATCH: Let’s Go Washington launching initiative to repeal income tax

By Carleen JohnsonThe Center Square Let’s Go Washington on Friday announced they have received their initiative ballot titles from the office of Washington State Attorney General Nick Brown, as the...
Court strikes tariff, Trump moves ahead with replacement

Court strikes tariff, Trump moves ahead with replacement

By Brett RowlandThe Center Square President Donald Trump's administration signaled Friday it intends to appeal a federal trade court's ruling striking down his 10% global tariff as unlawful, while simultaneously...
Ferguson first WA governor found in violation of ethics laws in over 30 years, state website shows

Ferguson first WA governor found in violation of ethics laws in over 30 years, state website shows

By Tim ClouserThe Center Square Gov. Bob Ferguson is the first Washington governor in more than 30 years to be found in violation of the state's executive ethics law, according...
North Dakota Supreme Court sides with Energy Transfer in Greenpeace fight over Dutch lawsuit

North Dakota Supreme Court sides with Energy Transfer in Greenpeace fight over Dutch lawsuit

By Tom JoyceThe Center Square The North Dakota Supreme Court ruled this week that Greenpeace International cannot keep pursuing most of its lawsuit against Energy Transfer in the Netherlands as...
SNAP cuts, Illinois payment errors spark fierce debate

SNAP cuts, Illinois payment errors spark fierce debate

By Jim Talamonti | The Center SquareThe Center Square (The Center Square) – A Democratic state senator says the federal government is to blame for 150,000 Illinoisans losing Supplemental Nutrition...
Op-Ed: Keeping local leaders happy isn’t worth the housing cost

Op-Ed: Keeping local leaders happy isn’t worth the housing cost

By Christina Sandefur and LyLena D. EstabineThe Center Square Chicago rents have soared to historic highs, but in Phoenix they’re falling. The reason? A greater housing supply. In 2024, Arizona...
Apollo, Gemini sightings revealed in first UAP file drop

Apollo, Gemini sightings revealed in first UAP file drop

By Sarah Roderick-FitchThe Center Square The long-anticipated Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP) or Unidentified Flying Object (UFO) files have been released by the federal government, showing images and descriptions of unexplained...
U.S. economy adds 115,000 jobs in April

U.S. economy adds 115,000 jobs in April

By Brett RowlandThe Center Square The U.S. economy added 115,000 jobs in April, about double what economists had forecast, while the unemployment rate held steady at 4.3%, the Bureau of...
BREAKING: GOP turns to Congress after Minnesota Dems block Omar subpoena

BREAKING: GOP turns to Congress after Minnesota Dems block Omar subpoena

By Elyse ApelThe Center Square Minnesota House Republicans want help from U.S. congressional oversight leaders after Democrats on a state committee blocked an effort to subpoena U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar...
Illinois weighing a ban on sale of some smoke detectors over safety concerns

Illinois weighing a ban on sale of some smoke detectors over safety concerns

By Sean Reed | The Center SquareThe Center Square (The Center Square) – With long-living smoke detectors on the market and required to be installed in Illinois, public safety officials...
Illinois Quick Hits: General Assembly leaders promise budget transparency

Illinois Quick Hits: General Assembly leaders promise budget transparency

By Jim Talamonti | The Center SquareThe Center Square (The Center Square) – Illinois House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch, D-Hillside, and Senate President Don Harmon, D-Oak Park, say more than...
Justice Department agrees to appearance waiver for Comey

Justice Department agrees to appearance waiver for Comey

By Alan WootenThe Center Square Former FBI Director James Comey on Thursday requested his appearance in a North Carolina federal court be canceled, and the U.S. Department of Justice gave...
Court strikes down Trump's backup tariffs as unlawful

Court strikes down Trump’s backup tariffs as unlawful

By Brett RowlandThe Center Square A federal trade court struck down President Donald Trump's latest global tariff on Thursday, ruling that the import taxes were unauthorized by law and ordering...
U.S. deficit projected to hit $2 trillion, double fiscal target

U.S. deficit projected to hit $2 trillion, double fiscal target

By Brett RowlandThe Center Square The federal government is projected to post a $2 trillion deficit in fiscal year 2026, double the 3% of GDP target that has bipartisan support...
Iran targets Navy ships, U.S. responds; ceasefire in question

Iran targets Navy ships, U.S. responds; ceasefire in question

By Sarah Roderick-FitchThe Center Square Exactly one month after the U.S. declared a ceasefire with Iran, the U.S. struck Iranian military sites Thursday in retaliation for “unprovoked” attacks on a...