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 everything from the pause on evictions to DMVs remaining closed below! CARES Act Q: Will the state allow employees to take out additional
A University of Illinois college-in-prison program created a reentry guide for those released from prison and jail during the COVID-19 pandemic. Every year, the Education Justice Project updates one reentry guide to reflect the latest information about resources available to those released from prison and returning to Illinois communities, as well as another guide for
URBANA – Live theater in America has been largely shut down for the past two months, due to the coronavirus outbreak. In central Illinois, theater groups are experimenting with performing online, while they wait for the time they can bring actors and audiences together again in the same building. Jim Meadows reports on how theater
RANTOUL – The Champaign-Urbana Public Health District is responding to the recent outbreak at Rantoul Foods, a meat processing plant located in Rantoul. Administrator Julie Pryde says OSF Healthcare is leading the effort to test the remaining 500 employees who have not yet been tested. Of the roughly 200 who have already been tested, Pryde
Like many small business owners, Amy Manganelli has taken a financial hit since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. So, a few weeks ago, she decided…
Illinois Newsroom is working to find answers to questions we’ve received from listeners about the COVID-19 pandemic. Here are some of those questions. Stay-at-home order updates Q: When will quarantine be over? Governor J.B. Pritzker extended the stay-at-home order through May 30. However, with the new order, some restrictions have been lifted. As of May
The meat processing plant hit with a coronavirus outbreak came under scrutiny by health officials in March before it was cited for being more than 90% out of compliance with infection control practices last week. Public health officials said they visited Rantoul Foods – which had 47 confirmed cases of Covid-19 as of May 5
As states move toward reopening their economies, officials are emphasizing the need to expand their capacity to test for COVID-19. But many say their…
This story has been updated on Tuesday May 5 at 12:00 p.m. to reflect updated case numbers. One of the largest meat processing plants in central Illinois is battling an outbreak of coronavirus in which 21 cases of Covid-19 have been already been counted, a company official confirmed Monday. By late afternoon, that number stood
Amber McKeag says her son Darrin received little braille instruction before the COVID-19 pandemic hit Illinois. Now, she says, he doesn’t receive any. McKeag and her family live in a rural part of Mercer County, on the Iowa-Illinois border. Her son, Darrin, who is about to turn 10, suffers from Bardet-Biedl syndrome. As a result,
As the coronavirus outbreak hit Illinois, many county jails lacked a standard cell needed to isolate infected inmates who had a respiratory illness, according to a review by CU-CitizenAccess and the Midwest Center for Investigative Reporting of annual jail inspections. The inspections, conducted in 2018 and 2019 by a division of the Illinois Department of
The latest readings of the Flash Index show the Illinois economy quickly shifting from growth to contraction during the coronavirus pandemic. The Flash Index has been above 100 for the past eight years, indicating economic growth in Illinois during that period. But University of Illinois economist Fred Giertz says that all changed as coronavirus stay-at-home
Editor’s note: At the request of Nikki Usher, we changed the pronouns in this article that pertain to Usher from ‘she’ to ‘they.’ We also changed the photograph at their request. – Reginald Hardwick, News Director, March 26, 2024 College students across the country have tried to adapt to online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic,
CHICAGO – Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker has extended the state’s stay-at-home order through the month of May. The order includes modifications, however, and includes some phased re-opening of state parks and non-essential businesses with social distancing guidelines. The governor also announced that people will be required to wear face masks in public places where they
This is part of Essential Voices , a series of interviews with people confronting COVID-19. Hospitals across the Midwest have adjusted policies for the…