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.

Events

No events

Leave a Comment





Latest News Stories

Hochul pushes back on Trump's cashless bail funding threat

Hochul pushes back on Trump’s cashless bail funding threat

By Chris WadeThe Center Square New York Gov. Kathy Hochul is pushing back on President Donald Trump's "reckless" push to do away with cashless bail, saying the move to withhold...
frankfort township graphic

Frankfort Township Board Denies Liquor and Gaming Permits for Two Restaurants

Article Summary: The Frankfort Township Board of Trustees denied special use permits for Dimitri Best Food and Kismet Restaurant, both of which were seeking ancillary liquor licenses with the intent to...
Education Department finds GMU Violated Title VI

Education Department finds GMU Violated Title VI

By Esther WickhamThe Center Square The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights announced George Mason University violated federal law by hiring and promoting staff based on race and...
Redistricting opponents immediately appeal to CA voters

Redistricting opponents immediately appeal to CA voters

By Dave MasonThe Center Square Opponents of California’s congressional redistricting argued their case in ads that voters received in their mail immediately before or after the Legislature approved a constitutional...
Former Transportation Secretary urges state taxpayer funding for Chicago transit

Former Transportation Secretary urges state taxpayer funding for Chicago transit

By Jim Talamonti | The Center SquareThe Center Square (The Center Square) – A former U.S. transportation secretary says Downstate Illinois residents should help fund Chicago transit, but a Metro...
Illinois quick hits: Education tax benefits available; Giannoulias orders license plate reader to shut off access to CBP

Illinois quick hits: Education tax benefits available; Giannoulias orders license plate reader to shut off access to CBP

By Jim Talamonti | The Center SquareThe Center Square Education tax benefits available As students across Illinois return to the classroom, Gov. J.B. Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Revenue...
WATCH: Trump order withholds funds over no-cash bail policies like Illinois'

WATCH: Trump order withholds funds over no-cash bail policies like Illinois’

By Greg Bishop | The Center SquareThe Center Square (The Center Square) – Taxpayer resources should not be used to support jurisdictions with cashless bail policies, according to a new...
Trump eyes First Amendment showdown with order to prosecute flag burning

Trump eyes First Amendment showdown with order to prosecute flag burning

By Brett RowlandThe Center Square President Donald Trump signed an executive order Monday requiring federal prosecutors to investigate and prosecute people for burning the American flag, a practice the U.S....
Trump strikes positive tone with South Korean president

Trump strikes positive tone with South Korean president

By Morgan SweeneyThe Center Square Onlookers braced for another tense, confrontational meeting in the Oval Office between President Donald Trump and another world leader when, Monday morning, Trump posted to...
House Oversight Committee to investigate D.C. police over crime data

House Oversight Committee to investigate D.C. police over crime data

By Sarah Roderick-FitchThe Center Square In response to allegations that Washington, D.C.’s Metropolitan Police Department manipulated its crime data, the U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform is launching...
Twenty years later, Katrina still among Atlantic’s most deadly, costly

Twenty years later, Katrina still among Atlantic’s most deadly, costly

By Alan WootenThe Center Square Twenty years ago this Friday, Hurricane Katrina – once a Category 5 beast – made landfall as a Category 3 first in southeastern Louisiana and...
CBO says tariffs could raise $4 trillion over next decade, raise prices

CBO says tariffs could raise $4 trillion over next decade, raise prices

By Brett RowlandThe Center Square The Congressional Budget Office's estimated that President Donald Trump's tariffs could bring in $4 trillion over the next decade, but will raise consumer prices and...
IL Treasurer to work with lawmakers after Pritzker's veto of nonprofit bill

IL Treasurer to work with lawmakers after Pritzker’s veto of nonprofit bill

By Jim Talamonti | The Center SquareThe Center Square (The Center Square) – Illinois Treasurer Michael Frerichs is promising to discuss next steps with lawmakers after Gov. J.B. Pritzker vetoed...
WATCH: Chicago reacts to Trump’s public safety push; AI in schools; rural health care

WATCH: Chicago reacts to Trump’s public safety push; AI in schools; rural health care

By Greg Bishop | The Center SquareThe Center Square (The Center Square) – In today's edition of Illinois in Focus Daily, The Center Square Editor Greg Bishop delves into the...
Will County Recorder Graphic.1

Will County Board Approves New Fee Schedule for Recorder of Deeds

Article Summary: The Will County Board has approved a revised fee schedule for the Recorder of Deeds office, which will take effect on October 1, 2025. The changes, based on...