Currently, there are 160 individuals in 15 Illinois counties who have tested positive for COVID-19. Click here for a map of the affected counties and other resources from WILL’s Coronavirus Information Center. Chicago Woman In 60s Is State’s 1st COVID-19 Patient Death CHICAGO — Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced the first death in Illinois of a…
Currently, there are 105 individuals in 15 Illinois counties who have tested positive for COVID-19. Click here for a map of the affected counties and other resources from WILL’s Coronavirus Information Center. Illinois Governor: Election Still On, Despite Virus Concerns SPRINGFIELD — Gov. J.B. Pritzker says the primary election in Illinois will proceed despite a…
Currently, there are 93 individuals in 13 Illinois counties who have tested positive for COVID-19. Click here for a map of the affected counties and other resources from WILL’s Coronavirus Information Center. Champaign County Woman Diagnosed With COVID-19 URBANA – Champaign County’s first confirmed case of COVID-19 is a woman in her fifties. She called the…
Champaign Mayor Declares Emergency, Ebert Fest Canceled CHAMPAIGN – On Thursday, Champaign mayor Deborah Frank Feinen issued an Executive Order related to the COVID-19 virus. The action will give the city increased flexibility to operate during emergency operations. On Friday, the city council will hold a special emergency meeting to consider passing an ordinance related…
Illinois Colleges Suspend In-Person Classes Due To COVID-19 CHICAGO — Illinois, DePaul, Northwestern and Illinois State universities have decided to suspend in-person classes due to coronavirus fears. The schools on Wednesday joined colleges and universities around the U.S. that have announced a halt to face-to-face instruction. None of the universities are reporting cases of COVID-19…
Illinois COVID-19 Cases Increase To 19 [perfectpullquote align=”left” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]Click here to connect with WILL’s Coronavirus Information Center. [/perfectpullquote] CHICAGO – State officials say Illinois now has 19 confirmed cases of coronavirus. The state identified eight new cases since yesterday afternoon – including a teenager from McHenry County. Dr. Ngozi Ezike is…
Lawmakers Pushing For Privacy Protections From Smart Speakers SPRINGFIELD – A pair of Illinois lawmakers want privacy protections for data from smart appliances and virtual home assistants. State Rep. Ann Williams (D-Chicago) says the information collected by those devices deserves the same protection as everything else in a home. The legislation would require police to get a…
Lawmakers Okay SNAP Participants To Use Benefits Online SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois House passed legislation this week meant to let recipients of food aid use their benefits online. Representative Anne Stava-Murray (D-Naperville) says not being able to spend food assistance on the web has directly hurt her constituents. “It really has been a struggle in my…
Lawmakers Hear How Greenhouse Gas Emissions Are Being Cut SPRINGFIELD – Illinois state senators heard testimony Thursday from environmental groups and power companies on how to curb future greenhouse gas emissions and what’s being done to do that right now. Utilities like Commonwealth Edison say they are meeting clean energy goals set out by agreements like…
Involve Women In Policy That Involves Women: Report SPRINGFIELD – Illinois officials say the state should be doing more to level the playing field for women and girls. A council working toward that goal released its first annual report on Wednesday. Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton is leading the Illinois Council on Women and Girls, which…
Police: 3 Die In Plane Crash On I-55 In Central Illinois LINCOLN — State police say three people died when a small plane crashed and burst into flames on Interstate 55 in central Illinois. Mindy Carroll of the Illinois State Police said in a statement that all three occupants of the plane were killed in…
Illinois Officials Announce 4th Positive Test For Virus CHICAGO — Health officials say a person in Illinois has tested positive for COVID-19, becoming the fourth suspected case in the state. The woman is the spouse of the third patient, whose case was announced over the weekend. The Illinois and Cook County public health departments made…
Bill Would Allow Parents To Opt Students Out of Shooter Drills SPRINGFIELD – Illinois lawmakers are considering whether parents should be allowed to keep their children from participating in active shooter drills at school. Some parents and school personnel say the exercises have a negative effect on children. State Sen. Scott Bennett (D-Champaign) said he’s…
Fees, Not Tuition Rising At Danville Area Community College DANVILLE – Student fees will be going up at Danville Area Community College, but tuition will remain the same. Trustees for the community college voted unanimously Thursday to increase the technology-and-activity fee for students from $20 per credit hour to $25. The college’s basic tuition rate…
Decatur Schools And Union Meet With Mediator DECATUR – Negotiators for Decatur Public Schools and their teaching assistants union met with a federal mediator for about three hours on Wednesday. But talks ended without a settlement, and no date for another session has been set. A District 61 news release called the meeting “productive” and…