WATCH LIVE: Pritzker shares COVID-19 Summer Youth Employment Program In Urbana.

WATCH LIVE: Pritzker shares COVID-19 Summer Youth Employment Program In Urbana.

NOW LIVE: Gov. Pritzker is holding a press briefing with local elected officials in Urbana to discuss opportunities supported by the COVID-19 Summer Youth Employment Program. Watch live below. The questions we receive from you directly inform the stories we tell and what we investigate. Let us know what you need to know!

News Around Illinois – July 17, 2020

News Around Illinois – July 17, 2020

ComEd To Pay $200M Over Bribery, Illinois Speaker Implicated CHICAGO (AP) — Electric utility ComEd has agreed to pay $200 million to resolve a federal criminal investigation into a long-running bribery scheme that implicates Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan, federal prosecutors announced Friday. The company has admitted that it arranged jobs, subcontracted work and monetary…

Reports On “Recovered” Covid-19 Cases Inconsistent And Incomplete

Reports On “Recovered” Covid-19 Cases Inconsistent And Incomplete

As Covid-19 surges again in the U.S., the high percentage of “recovered” cases might be cited as a sign that a vast majority of those infected quickly rid themselves of the virus. But the “recovered” statistics are incomplete, inconsistent and call into question the accuracy of any total number of recovered cases, according to a…

Severe Storms Bring Tornadoes And Heavy Rain To Central Illinois
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Severe Storms Bring Tornadoes And Heavy Rain To Central Illinois

CHAMPAIGN – Severe thunderstorms in Illinois caused tornadoes and other hazards on Wednesday afternoon. Meterorologist Andrew Pritchard captured a picture of a large tornado around 5:20 p.m. in Divernon, a small community 16 miles south of Springfield in Sangamon County. “This was a large tornado that developed very quickly,” said Pritchard. “There was a little…

The Champaign City Building figures prominently in this view of downtown Champaign, as seen from University Avenue.
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Council Endorses Champaign Police Use-Of-Force Changes & Outreach Plan

CHAMPAIGN – Champaign Police say they are making changes in response to concerns raised nationwide about police practices and policies. City Council members endorsed those changes, when they were outlined at a council study session Tuesday night. Chief Anthony Cobb says the latest changes in the department’s use-of-force policy are modeled after recommendations from “8…

International Students At The U Of I Relieved After ICE Rescinds Restriction
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International Students At The U Of I Relieved After ICE Rescinds Restriction

Kush Gupta says he panicked when U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) issued a rule last week barring international students from taking a full online course load for the upcoming fall semester.  The rule would have forced international students to take in-person classes at American universities and colleges this fall. Otherwise, they’d be barred from…

Ask The Newsroom: SNAP Benefits For July And Beyond
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Ask The Newsroom: SNAP Benefits For July And Beyond

Each month throughout the pandemic, Illinois Newsroom has received questions from listeners about whether maximum SNAP benefits will be issued. To find out more about how the program works and what SNAP recipients in Illinois can expect going forward, Illinois Newsroom reporter Dana Cronin spoke with Leslie Cully, who oversees the SNAP program for the…

At Least 100 Migrant Farmworkers In Illinois Have Tested Positive For COVID-19, Clinic Director Says
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At Least 100 Migrant Farmworkers In Illinois Have Tested Positive For COVID-19, Clinic Director Says

CHICAGO – Thousands of workers travel to Illinois each year to work on farms, with the largest influx to central Illinois in the summer and fall. Amid concerns about COVID-19, the state’s department of public health is partnering with medical clinics to make testing available to farmworkers.  The Community Health Partnership of Illinois, based in…

Champaign Unit 4 Schools To Prioritize In-Person Teaching For The Most Vulnerable Students This Fall
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Champaign Unit 4 Schools To Prioritize In-Person Teaching For The Most Vulnerable Students This Fall

CHAMPAIGN – The Champaign Unit 4 School District is changing their reopening plans for this fall. At a meeting this week, the district’s Board of Education asked school administrators to target special education, emergent bilingual learners and other vulnerable students for in-person instruction — with everyone else beginning the school year virtually. The district released…

COVID-19 Cases Close Champaign County Clerk, Danville Library

COVID-19 Cases Close Champaign County Clerk, Danville Library

URBANA – The Champaign County Clerk’s office and the Danville Public Library are both closed temporarily, after an employee at each location tested positive for COVID-19. But a staff member will be at the county clerk’s office on Tuesday to accept petitions from candidates seeking to get their names on the November 3 election ballot….