SPRINGFIELD – K-12 schools and colleges in Illinois now have state guidelines to reopen under Phase 4 of the Restore Illinois plan. The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) and the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) released new guidelines Tuesday to help schools safely return to in-person classes in the fall. Gov. J.B. Pritzker…
Chicago To Join State In Reopening Museums, Zoos On Friday CHICAGO (AP) — Chicago will join the rest of Illinois in the next reopening phase starting Friday, allowing museums, gyms and zoos to open for business with restrictions in place. Public health officials said Monday that COVID-19 metrics required for reopening under state and city…
The Illinois Newsroom team is answering questions from listeners to navigate this unprecedented time. Have a question you want answered? Ask here. In today’s edition of “Ask the Newsroom,” we’ve answered questions on COVID-19, SNAP benefits and living alone. Please note, the information is accurate as of June 19, 2020. COVID-19 Testing Q: I am…
At Some CPS Schools, Conversations And Peace Circles Will Replace Traditional Punishment When Iysha Jones and her team took over Doolittle Elementary School last year, it was a place where students had trouble talking about how they felt because they expected bad behavior to result in harsh discipline, like suspensions. So Jones was elated when…
ComEd Quadruples Payments To Powerhouse Law Firm Amidst Corruption Probe Amid a sprawling federal corruption probe, Commonwealth Edison quadrupled its payments last year to a powerhouse Chicago-based law firm that’s representing the utility giant in the investigation of its Springfield lobbying practices. Federal regulatory documents show ComEd paid Jenner & Block nearly $2.4 million in…
GOP Sues Pritzker Seeking Exemption From 10-Person Limit CHICAGO (AP) — Illinois’ Democratic governor was sued Monday by the state’s Republican Party, which is seeking exemption from the 10-person limit on public gatherings. The Chicago Tribune reports the GOP contends in the lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Chicago that Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s limit on…
NTSB: Plane Spiraled Before Fatal Crash In Illinois Field CARLINVILLE, Ill. (AP) — A small plane that crashed last month while heading from Missouri to Michigan, killing four men aboard, entered into a “right descending spiral” before it went down in a southwestern Illinois farm field, authorities said. Investigators will examine the wreckage to determine…
State Grants To Help Child Care Centers Reopen As Illinois begins to re-open, and people go back to work, they’ll need safe and reliable child care. That was the message Wednesday from Gov. JB Pritzker when he announced a sizeable portion of federal CARES Act funds will go to child care providers. At Skip-a-long Child…
It’s become a common sight at grocery stores across the country: empty shelves , devoid of essential food and household items. Illinois, which is facing…
UPDATE on April 8, 2020: Child care at the Stephens Family YMCA will be expanded to all essential workers identified by the state. To register and for a complete list of occupations that qualify, contact Cody Flowers at cody@ccymca.net. Include your occupation and place of employment in your initial email to Cody. CHAMPAIGN – The Stephens…
The governors of llinois and Ohio ordered residents to stay home to halt the spread of coronavirus. It remains to be seen if other Midwest states will…
Coronavirus cases continue to climb throughout the Midwest, and American’s routines have been significantly disrupted amid the pandemic. President Trump…
Millions of American households this month will receive an invitation from the U.S. Census Bureau to participate in the 2020 census. Julie Dowling, chair of the Census Bureau’s National Advisory Committee on Racial, Ethnic and Other Populations, and a professor of Latina/Latino studies at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, says it’s important to get…
CHAMPAIGN – There are currently no known cases of COVID-19 in Champaign County, but tests are pending for 11 people, according to Julie Pryde, Administrator for the Champaign-Urbana Public Health District.
URBANA – Starting this week, some patients who present to the emergency department at Carle Foundation Hospital in Urbana with flu-like symptoms will be tested for the coronavirus. Sample collection will be done at Carle, and testing will be conducted by the Illinois Department of Public Health, which is able to provide in-state testing for…