News Bureau

In reversing an Obama-era decision that effectively allowed internet gambling, the Department of Justice has revitalized the Interstate Wire Act of 1961, an anti-gambling statute championed by then-Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy to fight organized crime, said John W. Kindt, a professor emeritus of business administration at the University of Illinois and a leading national gambling critic.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - With many Americans now spending most of their adult lives owing debts to financial institutions, the need for a consumer financial agency free of "regulatory capture" is now more acute than ever, according to a University of Illinois expert in consumer credit.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - The lame-duck Congress may be the last chance for the current Democratic majority to slip through legislation legalizing online gambling, a move that could have dire consequences for communities and the economy, a leading national gambling critic warns.

The decision in Murphy v. NCAA will likely usher in an era of unregulated, readily available sports gambling on smartphones, said John W. Kindt, a professor emeritus of business administration at the University of Illinois and a leading national gambling critic.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - It's fourth and long in the labor stalemate between NFL owners and players, and the chances of either side engineering a John Elway-style last-minute comeback are slim, says a University of Illinois law and labor expert.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Many Americans have lost more than just retirement savings amid a year-long economic meltdown that has sliced the U.S. stock market's value by nearly half in a little over a year, a University of Illinois elder law expert says.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - With seemingly more extreme weather on the horizon, should Uncle Sam have to foot the bill every time a natural disaster strikes? According to a University of Illinois expert in environmental economics, one way to limit the amount of money the federal government doles out to repair damage would be to mandate disaster-prone areas pay "FEMA premiums" to the federal government.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Springfield's plan to slash nearly $1.4 billion from the state's Medicaid program will ultimately result in bigger medical (and financial) problems for low- and middle-income senior citizens and their families, says a University of Illinois elder law expert.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - With its Nov. 23 deadline looming, the congressional "super-committee" charged with reducing the federal budget deficit may change how the government measures inflation, which could raise tax revenues and lower government expenses such as Social Security, a University of Illinois expert on taxation and retirement issues says.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Time is running out to employ a mitigation strategy that would avert severe global damage from climate change, a University of Illinois energy policy expert says.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - The outcome of a case argued before the U.S. Supreme Court last fall could potentially slow the trend of the ever-increasing number of occupations subject to state licensing, says a University of Illinois expert in the regulation and financing of health care.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - A seemingly innocuous proposal that would allow litigants to withhold evidence during the pre-trial phase of a lawsuit could make it easier for large corporations to conceal information in lawsuits, according to a University of Illinois expert in civil procedure.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Legalizing online poker as proposed by two leading U.S. senators would be a boon to terrorist networks and organized crime syndicates, says a leading national gambling critic.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Widespread layoffs that stem corporate financial losses but leave workers out in the cold would deepen the looming recession that sparked them, a University of Illinois labor expert warns.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Hurricane Ike threatened to send already steep gasoline prices soaring, despite a steady decline in crude oil prices that reached a seven-month low this week, a University of Illinois economic expert says.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - The Obama administration's decision to maintain a ban on oil drilling in the eastern Gulf of Mexico and off the Atlantic and Pacific coasts is a mistake, according to a University of Illinois expert who wrote a six-volume book series on marine pollution.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Budget and pension woes in Illinois are inextricably linked to giveaways to "Big Gambling," a University of Illinois expert in legal policy says.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Recent efforts by Nevada and New Jersey legalizing some forms of online gambling could create virtual casinos on social media websites such as Facebook, a leading national gambling critic says.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - "Positioning Yourself to Meet Challenges of a Down Economy," a panel discussion on finding work in a tight job market, will take place Feb. 11 at the University of Illinois.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - The U.S. Supreme Court recently handed down two decisions on patents, both of which were watched closely by technology companies because of their potential impact on nonpracticing entities, otherwise known - and pejoratively referred to - as "patent trolls." But according to a University of Illinois expert in intellectual property law, there's nothing inherently wrong with individuals and organizations that don't make things trying to enforce their rights as patent holders.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Although planning for a comfortable retirement is a mainstay of public discussion, far less attention has been paid to the tax consequences of generating retirement income, says a University of Illinois expert on taxation and retirement benefits.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - In a time of record-high food insecurity rates in the U.S., cutting the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (the former Food Stamp Program) is the wrong approach to fighting hunger, says a University of Illinois economist who studies the efficacy of food assistance programs on public health.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - A growing trend toward higher Medicare premiums for the richest Americans could ultimately creep into the retirement income of less-wealthy seniors, a University of Illinois expert on federal health insurance warns.

A Minute With™... Cele Otnes, a marketing professor

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Families that have high amounts of unsecured debt, such as outstanding credit card balances and payday loans, diminish their children's prospects of attending or graduating from college, according to a new study by social work professors Min Zhan at the University of Illinois and Michael Sherraden, the founder of the Center for Social Development at Washington University in St. Louis.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -Well-intentioned policies to make achieving tenure more family-friendly actually have negative consequences for the salaries of college faculty members, a study co-written by a University of Illinois labor and employment relations professor shows.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - February marked another month with no significant change from the yearlong period of stagnation that has beset the Illinois economy.

A Minute With™... Peter Schiffer, a professor of physics and the vice chancellor for research

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Over the last 20 years, a housing industry has sprung up to handle elderly citizens who cannot live independently but do not require around-the-clock nursing.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirms a case of smallpox in a Midwest city. Minutes later, officials declare that the country is under a terrorist smallpox attack. Panicked families swamp hospital emergency rooms nationwide.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - A proposed federal prison in northwest Illinois would lock up a double dose of much-needed cash to chip away at the state's gaping budget hole, a University of Illinois economist says.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - The U.S. Agriculture Department's mad cow disease-testing program is wholly inadequate and the agency's refusal to let processors do their own testing further undercuts the safety of American beef, a University of Illinois scholar writes.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Mounting worries about inflation will weigh on the Federal Reserve Board this week as it mulls a seventh cut in short-term interest rates in the last eight months, a University of Illinois economist says.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - What's the bottom line for consumers if Congress approves a mammoth, 2,300-page bill hailed as the most sweeping reform of the nation's financial system since the Great Depression?

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Recessions leave a gaping crater in the U.S. business landscape, sinking an average of more than a half-million firms during each of 10 economic slumps between World War II and the early 2000s.

A firm’s decision on where to locate its branch offices has reverberations in higher education and students’ post-graduation upward income mobility, according to new research from U. of I. labor economist Russell Weinstein.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - The University of Illinois will launch its first fully online courses for undergraduates on the Urbana campus next spring, seeking to train a new generation of labor leaders for a rapidly changing workplace that has become more global and high-tech.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Scaling back mail delivery from six days a week to five may be the best bet to stem mounting U.S. Postal Service losses, but could still be a gamble, says a University of Illinois economist who has studied the agency's persistent financial decline.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- The University of Illinois Flash Economic Index fell to 102.8 in June, raising the question of whether the state economy is slowing.

The University of Illinois Flash Economic Index rose slightly to 102.2 in January from its 102.1 level in December.

The University of Illinois Flash Economic Index remained at 96.7 in August for the third straight month.

Continuing its slow rise since the last quarter of 1999, the University of Illinois Flash Economic Index registered its highest monthly level in a year.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - The University of Illinois Flash Economic Index rose slightly in October to 95.6 from the 95.4 level recorded for the previous three months (July 1 through Sept. 30).

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. In the first month of 2002, the University of Illinois Flash Economic Index fell to 97.1 from its 97.8 level in December. Despite isolated signs of recovery, the recession continues in Illinois.

Recession's grip on the Illinois economy tightened in January as the UI Flash Index fell to a reading of 97, the lowest recorded since October 2003. The index fell from its December level of 98.7 and is down from a reading of 103.6 just one year ago.

The U. of I. Flash Index fell in February to 106.8 from its 107.2 level in January. The index has remained in a narrow range from 106.5 to 107.2 since July of last year, demonstrating how slow the recovery from the recession has been in Illinois.

The U. of I. Flash Index fell slightly in August to 106.0 from its 106.2 level in July. The index has fluctuated in this narrow range (106.0 to 106.2) for the past four months.

The U. of I. Flash Index declined in March to 105.1 from its 105.6 level in February.

The U. of I. Flash Index rose slightly in July to 106.2 from its 106.0 level in June. The index has remained in the 106.0 to 106.2 range for the past four months, indicating the Illinois economy continues to grow since the rate has stayed above 100, the dividing line between growth and decline.

The UI Flash Index fell to 98.3 in October, down half a point from 98.8 last month. The index increased sharply in September, and remains above the 97.8 level that prevailed from June through August of this year.