Illinois quick hits: Criminal justice grants announced; unemployment rate unchanged

Illinois quick hits: Criminal justice grants announced; unemployment rate unchanged

January 6, 2026/Newspaper Staff/

By Jim Talamonti | The Center Square
The Center Square

Criminal justice grants announced

The Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority has announced $50 million in taxpayer-funded grants for historically underserved communities.

ICJIA says it will allocate $35 million to support community reentry from the criminal legal system, economic development, and civil legal aid programs, with another $15 million slotted for youth development and violence prevention initiatives.

The state budget for fiscal year 2026 appropriates a total of $180 million in taxpayer funds for ICJIA.

DCFS scholarship applications open

The Illinois Department of Children and Family Services is accepting applications for the 2026 DCFS Scholarship Program until March 31.

Scholarship recipients receive up to five consecutive years of tuition and academic fee waivers if they attend a public university or community college, a monthly grant of $1,577 to offset other expenses and a medical card.

In 2025, DCFS awarded scholarships to 334 college-bound youth. Applications are available online.

Unemployment rate unchanged

The Illinois Department of Employment Security announced Tuesday that the state’s unemployment rate was 4.4% in November, unchanged from September.

November’s rate was down -0.5 percentage point from the same month, one year ago, based on data provided by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Total nonfarm payrolls were down 0.2% in November.

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