1,006 New COVID-19 Cases, 33 New Deaths Reported In Illinois CHICAGO – The Illinois Department of Public Health announced 1,006 new cases of COVID-19 in Illinois on Monday, including 33 deaths. Monday’s state report did not include the death of a COVID-19 patient in Champaign County, reported Monday by the Champaign-Urbana Public Health District. A
Governor Vows To Increase Testing As COVID-19 Cases Surge CHICAGO — Gov. J.B. Pritzker says Illinois will soon more than double the number of COVID-19 tests it can administer each day as the number of cases in the state surged. Public health officials announced 1,105 new cases, including 18 deaths on Sunday. Overall, Illinois has
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker has ordered the closing of every school in the state until March 30 amid concerns over the spread of coronavirus. Statewide, nearly 2 million students will not be returning to the classroom for two weeks. Here is an updated blog on what Illinois districts are doing to keep education and school
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
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
Union Vows To Fill Decatur School Board Meeting DECATUR – The teaching assistants union at Decatur Public Schools is calling on members show their solidarity by packing Tuesday night’s school board meeting. The meeting comes one day before the union and school district hold a bargaining session with a federal mediator. Teaching assistants have been without a
Women Will Share Empowering Stories In Champaign This Weekend URBANA – “That’s What She Said” will take the stage at the Virginia Theatre in Champaign this Saturday night with a series of performances by women from the local community. The speakers will share personal stories in a monologue format in what will be the group’s sixth
Actor Jussie Smollett Faces 6 New Charges In Chicago CHICAGO – Actor Jussie Smollett has been indicted for a second time on charges of lying to police about a racist and anti-gay attack he allegedly staged on himself last year in downtown Chicago. The indictment came from a special prosecutor who was appointed after Cook
Supreme Court: Domestic Violence Survivor Can Own A Gun SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Supreme Court says a woman once convicted of domestic violence is entitled to own a gun. At issue is a federal law meant to keep guns away from people convicted of domestic violence. The Illinois State Police used that to justify denying
Gov. Pritzker Signs Law Allowing More Young People To Vote SPRINGFIELD – A new law signed Wednesday will give students two hours out of their school day to go vote in elections. Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker approved the change to give high schoolers of legal age a chance to vote during school hours. Senator Elgie Sims, a
NORMAL – It’s January, so most Illinois college students are coming back to class after winter break. But this will be their first time back on campus in a state where consuming cannabis is legal. Even so, that doesn’t necessarily mean that they’ll be able to do it. A 2017 study by the National Institute
Durbin And Duckworth Help Pass USMCA Trade Deal SPRINGFIELD – Both U.S. Senators from Illinois voted Thursday in favor of a new United States-Mexico-Canada trade agreement. Lawmakers negotiated bipartisan support for the measure. Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) says the plan is good for farmers, manufacturers, and working people. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) says Illinois is
[perfectpullquote align=”left” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]Base Tuition For In-State Undergrads: $12,254 at U-I Urbana-Champaign; $10,776 at U-I Chicago; $9,503 at U-I Springfield [/perfectpullquote] CHICAGO – University of Illinois trustees voted in Chicago Thursday to raise tuition for the first time in six years, and extend the contract of their president, Tim Killeen. The
School Nurses Can Treat With CBD Now SPRINGFIELD – Illinois has distributed some 94,000 medical marijuana licenses, and about 600 of those went to children under the age of 18. A new law allows school nurses and officials to administer such medications on campus, at school activities, or even on a school bus. No school
SPRINGFIELD – Illinois lawmakers on Tuesday grilled officials about the practice of locking kids in “seclusion rooms” in schools. It’s the first legislative hearing since a news report brought attention to the practice late last year. The story, from ProPublica Illinois and the Chicago Tribune, revealed thousands of incidents in which kids with special needs were