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

Indiana voters to decide compeititive congressional primary races Tuesday

Indiana voters to decide compeititive congressional primary races Tuesday

By Andrew RiceThe Center Square Indiana voters head to the polls Tuesday to elect party representatives in several competitive primary races. Across the Hoosier state, local political figures are seeking...
U.S. debt tops 100% of GDP, 'deeply troubling' for economy, national security

U.S. debt tops 100% of GDP, ‘deeply troubling’ for economy, national security

By Thérèse BoudreauxThe Center Square The U.S. national debt is now larger than the entire American economy and is only set to keep growing, further exacerbating the affordability crisis and...

U.S. troops in Italy, Spain hang in balance as troop reduction in Germany announced

By Sarah Roderick-FitchThe Center Square On the heels of President Donald Trump threatening to reduce troops in Europe, the Department of War announced Friday the reduction of 5,000 troops from...
Federal appeals court halts access to mail-order abortion drug

Federal appeals court halts access to mail-order abortion drug

By Dan McCalebThe Center Square A federal appeals court on Friday temporarily halted a Biden-era rule that allowed individuals to receive the abortion pill mifepristone through the mail without a...
New Lenox Village Board Graphic.1

Village Board Approves Industrial Rezoning on Gougar Road Over Resident Protests, But Freezes Construction for Years

New Lenox Village Board of Trustees Meeting | April 27, 2026 Article Summary:Following intense pushback from neighboring residents, the New Lenox Village Board approved a development agreement and rezoning for...
Labor unions back McCormick’s plan to reform federal permitting

Labor unions back McCormick’s plan to reform federal permitting

By John ColeThe Center Square In a rare show of solidarity, building trade unions and U.S. Sen. Dave McCormick, R-Pa., want to streamline the federal permitting process so that projects...
Court-ordered tariff refunds bypass consumers who paid

Court-ordered tariff refunds bypass consumers who paid

By Brett RowlandThe Center Square The Trump administration has begun returning $166 billion in tariff refunds, launching a new portal for U.S. importers to claim their money back, but consumers...
Professor: Surging gas prices will have long-term effects

Professor: Surging gas prices will have long-term effects

By Jim Talamonti | The Center SquareThe Center Square (The Center Square) – A University of Chicago professor says the effects of high gas prices will ripple through the economy...
Professor: Surging gas prices will have long-term effects

Professor: Surging gas prices will have long-term effects

By Jim Talamonti | The Center SquareThe Center Square (The Center Square) – A University of Chicago professor says the effects of high gas prices will ripple through the economy...
Illinois Quick Hits: DHS says ICE captures child sex abuser released by Illinois DOC

Illinois Quick Hits: DHS says ICE captures child sex abuser released by Illinois DOC

By Jim Talamonti | The Center SquareThe Center Square (The Center Square) – The U.S. Department of Homeland Security says U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers have arrested a Guatemalan...
Durbin calls probe ‘sham’; state lawmaker backs transparency

Durbin calls probe ‘sham’; state lawmaker backs transparency

By Catrina Barker | The Center Square contributorThe Center Square (The Center Square) – An Illinois state lawmaker is voicing strong support for a federal investigation into dozens of school...
Lawmen believe trip from Carolinas to Washington a threat to Trump

Lawmen believe trip from Carolinas to Washington a threat to Trump

By Alan WootenThe Center Square An Army veteran lawmen believed was going to travel from the Carolinas to Washington in an attempt to kill President Donald Trump will be in...
Trump threatens new EU auto taxes that could drive up prices

Trump threatens new EU auto taxes that could drive up prices

By Brett RowlandThe Center Square President Donald Trump threatened to raise tariffs on European Union cars and trucks to 25%, accusing the EU of violating a trade agreement the bloc...
Independent tax tribunal faces elimination by Pritzker budget proposal

Independent tax tribunal faces elimination by Pritzker budget proposal

By Jim Talamonti | The Center SquareThe Center Square (The Center Square) – The chief judge of the Illinois Independent Tax Tribunal says it will be bad for taxpayers if...
States consider drones to stop school shootings

States consider drones to stop school shootings

By Ella DawsonThe Center Square The first drones intended to stop school shootings from Campus Guardian Angel are set to go live Friday at Deltona High School. Florida’s legislature has...