Busy travel season underway

More than 72-million Americans are expected to travel for the Fourth of July holiday.  Triple-A says most will travel by car with the busiest travel days being tomorrow and Sunday, July 6th.  The TSA expects to screen more than 18-million air travelers between today and next Monday.

Feds want jail time for one of ComEd four

Federal prosecutors are calling for one of the so-called "ComEd Four" to be sentenced to more than four and a half years in prison.  The recommendation for John Hooker comes more than two years after he and Anne Pramaggiore, Michael McClain, and Jay Doherty were found guilty of conspiring to influence and reward former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan in order to assist with the passage of legislation favorable to ComEd.  Their sentencing dates have all been delayed, in part due to a Supreme Court ruling last year that narrowed the federal bribery statute.  Hooker will learn his fate first on July 14th.

Indiana tax increases 200% on cigarettes

Smoking in Indiana is more expensive starting today.  The state's cigarette tax has risen from nearly one-dollar to around three-dollars, which is a 200-percent increase.  The hike is part of the 2025 state budget to help address a two-point-four-billion-dollar shortfall.  It is the first increase in cigarette taxes in Indiana in nearly 20 years and is projected to generate 400-million-dollars a year.

New laws start today in IL

New laws go into effect today in Illinois.  The state's gas tax is going up to just over 48-cents per gallon.  That makes Illinois the second-highest gas tax rate in the country.  There will also be tax increases on Airbnb rentals, sports wagers, and tobacco.  Also, hotels in Illinois with 50 or more rooms are now banned from providing small single-use plastic bottles with products like shampoo or body wash.