About 80-thousand people in Illinois will soon be losing their federal unemployment benefits. The budget deal reached by Congress didn't extend the long-term benefits that have been in place since the recession began. The national unemployment rate has fallen to seven percent, but in Illinois the rate is just under nine percent. The 110-thousand workers getting state unemployment benefits won't be affected right away, but up to a third of them could lose their checks from the state early in 2014.
