For years, the Illinois Department of Employment Security operated largely out of the limelight, distributing unemployment compensation benefits and assisting people seeking employment. That all changed this year when the coronavirus pandemic upended the economy and sent an unprecedented number of people in a short period of time to IDES to file claims. The unemployment system in Illinois was overwhelmed, as were unemployment systems in many other states that weren't equipped for to handle the crush of 2 million new applicants...
