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
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 pools reopening during Phase 3 of the Restore Illinois Plan, and SNAP benefits for the month of June. Please note, the information
CHAMPAIGN – After 26 years, the Orpheum Children’s Science Museum in Champaign is closing, a victim of the COVID-19 pandemic, and its building is being put up for sale. Orpheum board president Janet Wattnem says the decision to close was difficult, because they believed the museum provided a valuable resource. “I think the community deserves
In the past two weeks, the United States Department of Agriculture ( USDA ) has issued about $1.4 billion to agricultural producers to provide a boost…
Doctors at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago announced Thursday they’ve performed the first successful double-lung transplant on a COVID-19 patient in the United States. The woman in her 20s was otherwise healthy but developed a severe case of COVID-19 that resulted in hospitalization, says Dr. Ankit Bharat, Northwestern’s chief of thoracic surgery. For two months,
URBANA – The union for graduate student workers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign wants most instruction to stay online through the fall semester — as a precaution against the coronavirus. U of I officials released a report last week produced by a university-appointed task force that outlines possible scenarios for the fall semester,
SPRINGFIELD – In the months after the COVID-19 pandemic forced schools in Illinois to be closed, calls to the state’s child abuse and neglect hotline dropped significantly. The Illinois Department of Children and Family Services said in a statement June 1 that calls to report suspected abuse and neglect are down by 57% compared to
CHAMPAIGN – Health officials say anyone who’s been out to a rally, protest or other mass gathering should get tested for COVID-19. Champaign-Urbana Public Health Administrator Julie Pryde says anyone experiencing any symptoms of COVID-19 should get tested right away. Otherwise, she says it’s best to get tested five to seven days after possible exposure
Even without a global pandemic, dentistry is inherently riskier than many other medical professions. That’s because dentists and hygienists spend a lot of time inches away from wide-open mouths, conducting procedures known to generate aerosols — tiny droplets that can linger in the air and carry viruses. So when dental hygienist Jeanne Bosecker started back
CHAMPAIGN – Park district walking paths and trails have remained open through Illinois’ stay-at-home order, and some have reopened pavilions for rentals and outdoor tennis courts since the state entered Phase Three of Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s Restore Illinois plan. But for the time being, playgrounds will remain closed. Julie Pryde, administrator of the Champaign-Urbana Public
CHAMPAIGN – As certain businesses reopen and people begin socializing in small groups during Phase Three of Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s Restore Illinois plan, local public health officials say they’re expecting to see additional COVID-19 outbreaks occur. “We are definitely going to see more cases,” says C-U Public Health Administrator Julie Pryde. “That is the nature
Editor’s Note: This story has been updated to clarify the Campus Faculty Association’s role at the University of Illinois. A previous version of this article described the group as a labor union. It is not. The CFA is an advocacy group. URBANA – As University of Illinois officials deliberate over how to reopen the Urbana
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 related to the reopening of Illinois, following Gov. J.B. Pritkzer’s “Restore Illinois” plan. The entire state is set to move into Phase 3 this
Editor’s note: This story was updated at 7:54 p.m. on May 26 to include comments from the Illinois Department of Corrections. An amended lawsuit filed against Rob Jeffreys, director of the Illinois Department of Corrections, and Gov. J.B. Pritzker last week claims that the state’s prison system has failed to protect medically vulnerable prisoners from