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By Brett Rowland | The Center Square (The Center Square) – President-elect Donald Trump’s vow to hit America’s top trading partners with 25% tariffs on imported goods prompted a cool response from neighbors and China. Mexico’s lower house leader Ricardo Monreal, a member of the ruling Morena party, said a trade war would hurt the

By Kevin Bessler | The Center Square Bears property tax deal coming together The Chicago Bears have tentatively reached an agreement with Arlington Heights over the property taxes for the former Arlington Park racetrack. The exact details of the deal were not released, and any deal would still need approval from the Arlington Heights Village

By J.D. Davidson | The Center Square (The Center Square) – After delays and lobbying from business groups around the country, the U.S. Department of Commerce and Intel announced a deal Tuesday morning to release nearly $8 billion in direct CHIPS Act funding. The $7.86 billion directly impacts Intel’s commercial semiconductor manufacturing and advanced manufacturing projects

By Kevin Bessler | The Center Square (The Center Square) – As we get closer to the holiday, the cost of Thanksgiving dinner is more affordable than it has been in years, but the dinner is still more expensive than before the pandemic.  The American Farm Bureau Federation’s 39th annual Thanksgiving dinner survey provides a snapshot

By Tim Clouser | The Center Square (The Center Square) – As federal COVID-19 pandemic aid dries up and budget deficits mount, cities across the state are asking their legislators to let them tax residents more than the 1% cap on annual property tax increases.  November and December are budget season for a lot of areas,

By J.D. Davidson | The Center Square (The Center Square) – As the biggest holiday travel week of the year begins, Ohioans are getting a break at the gas pumps. Prices are down nearly 30 cents from last year and more than $2 from two years ago as Americans begin hitting the road for the busy

By Kevin Bessler | The Center Square (The Center Square) – A new study that the authors say is intended to enable policymakers, taxpayers and business leaders to gauge how their states’ tax systems compare gives Illinois a poor ranking.  The Tax Foundation has released its annual State Tax Competitiveness Index, which compares each state on

By Tim Clouser | The Center Square (The Center Square) – Spokane COPS, a local police nonprofit, won’t receive funding next year under Mayor Lisa Brown’s proposed 2025-2026 budget. The city council has a plan, but it requires $200,000.  Spokane Community Oriented Policing Services, or COPS, started serving the community in 1992, running several shops

By Jon Styf | The Center Square (The Center Square) – Unemployment rates dropped in 10 of Wisconsin’s 12 metropolitan areas for October from September while all 12 areas saw year over year unemployment declines. Twenty-three of the state’s largest 35 cities also saw unemployment decreases month over month and 33 saw year over year

By Tim Clouser | The Center Square (The Center Square) – Spokane residents pay property taxes every year, just like the rest of the state, but the city council is looking at a new model to spur development around town: a land value tax.  The elected officials discussed the model with Joshua Vincent, president of

By Alan Wooten | The Center Square (The Center Square) – Despite the fifth-highest tax in the country, heading into the Thanksgiving holiday travel North Carolina’s average unleaded gasoline price is 17th best. For a tourism industry fifth-best in America that adds about $35.6 billion to the state economy from travelers, it’s a combination that

By Bethany Blankley | The Center Square contributor (The Center Square) – Another multi-billion-dollar company is expanding operations in Texas, this time in Buda in Hays County, one of the fastest-growing counties in the state. US Foods has pledged $120 million in capital investment, which it claims will create 165 new jobs through expanding its

By Jon Styf | The Center Square (The Center Square) – Wisconsin has the 35th highest overall tax rate in the country, according to a new report from Wisconsin Policy Forum. The rate of state and local taxes amounted to 9.9% in 2022, the lowest mark on record, after being 10.3% in 2021. The national

By Tim Clouser | The Center Square (The Center Square) – The Yakima City Council heard another update on Tuesday over its proposed biennial budget, which uses almost 85% of available general fund reserves to match how much they’re spending.  The budget sees revenues and expenditures increasing into 2025 before falling below what it made

By Chris Wade | The Center Square contributor (The Center Square) — Chronic workforce shortages and a lack of affordable housing are throttling down Maine’s economic growth, according to a new report that calls for increased funding and policy changes to improve the state’s competitiveness.  The 2024 Measures of Growth report, released on Wednesday by

By Kenneth Schrupp | The Center Square (The Center Square) – California’s nonpartisan state analysis agency warned the state has “no capacity for new commitments,” and faces annual deficits of $20 billion or more starting in 2026 as spending growth outpaces weak sales tax revenue.  For the 2025-2026 fiscal year, the Legislative Analyst’s Office said

By Jon Styf | The Center Square (The Center Square) – Wisconsin is expected to have a $4 billion surplus at the end of the fiscal year, according to the Department of Administration. The state also has a $1.9 billion balance in what is known as a rainy day fund. The state is expected to

By Madeline Armstrong | The Center Square (The Center Square) – October brought Arizona’s lowest inflation rate in years with the Phoenix metro area inflation rate being 1.56% year-over-year – a decrease from 2.27% in August – according to the Common Sense Institute. “This latest reading ends the over 2-year streak of inflation above the

By Tim Clouser | The Center Square (The Center Square) – The Spokane Valley City Council approved its 2025 budget on Tuesday, with nearly $150 million in expenditures outpacing revenues by roughly $1.1 million. The Valley’s elected officials gave the final OK after convening eight times since June to discuss the budget. The financial roadmap includes

By Cameron Arcand | The Center Square (The Center Square) – Arizona continues to fare better compared with other states when it comes to job growth. A Common Sense Institute analysis of the state’s October jobs report determined that the Grand Canyon State ranked eighth in job growth year-over-year nationwide, and it was part of

By Elyse Apel | The Center Square (The Center Square) – Georgia is one step closer to having its first national park and preserve, after the bipartisan Ocmulgee Mounds Park and Preserve Establishment Act passed through committee in the U.S. Senate on Tuesday. Located in Macon, the Ocmulgee Mounds Park and Preserve is already designated a

By Glenn Minnis | The Center Square contributor (The Center Square) – Illinois State Rep. La Shawn Ford is again caling for change after new data shows more than 2.5 times as many red-light camera tickets were issued on Chicago’s South Side over a yearlong period than at intersections where cameras are installed on the

By Steve Wilson | The Center Square (The Center Square) — The Tampa Bay Rays said in a letter released Tuesday that the team has suspended work on a new $1.2 billion stadium in St. Petersburg, but say they’ll “work with any willing partners” on a new deal. The letter came as the Pinellas County

By Tim Clouser | The Center Square (The Center Square) – Despite recently proposing her own, Mayor Lisa Brown is asking the Spokane City Council to claw back a sunset clause on former Mayor Nadine Woodward’s temporary tax increase. Brown issued her 2025-2026 budget proposal earlier this month, which could close Spokane’s $25 million deficit. Woodward

By Christina Lengyel | The Center Square (The Center Square) – With reinvigorated interest in cryptocurrency, Republican House legislators are vying to make Pennsylvania a pioneer of digital investments, a move some skeptics believe would be too great of a risk for the state’s bank accounts. Rep. Mike Cabell, R-Dallas, introduced House Bill 2664 last

By Jacob Mathews | The Center Square (The Center Square) — Louisiana lawmakers took a look this week on how to bolster the state’s music industry and keep that revenue in the state.  The subcommittee on the study of the state’s music industry was created in May 2024 to look at how music effects economic

By Bethany Blankley | The Center Square contributor (The Center Square) – Texas has won another lawsuit against the Biden administration, this time over a federal rule the Biden administration resurrected first implemented under the Obama administration overhauling employer overtime requirements. At issue is the Fair Labor Standards Act, which includes requirements for employers to

By Tim Clouser | The Center Square (The Center Square) – The Spokane Police Department isn’t the only agency patrolling Spokane, but after nearly 32 years, the nonprofit helping out around town might have to close its doors for good.  Spokane Community Oriented Policing Services, or COPS, has served the local community since 1992, building

By Morgan Sweeney | The Center Square (The Center Square) — Virginia Rep. Bob Good introduced legislation Thursday that seeks to make industry-led apprenticeship programs more common and accessible to Americans who don’t have or don’t want to obtain a college degree.  “Colleges and universities are failing our students, saddling them with thousands of dollars in student