CHAMPAIGN – Food deserts have long been associated with urban areas where full-service grocery stores are hard to find. But rural areas also struggle with a lack of access to fresh, affordable produce, despite often being surrounded by rich agricultural land. According to the Food Access Atlas, a map maintained by the USDA, dozens of
CHAMPAIGN — An adult employee at a daycare facility in Rantoul has come down with monkeypox. The “patient is doing well and the case poses little risk to general public,” the Champaign-Urbana Public Health District announced on Friday. They’re currently investigating the case. According to The News-Gazette, it’s the state’s first case of monkeypox at
On July 1, Governor J.B. Pritzker froze a proposed gas tax hike, while suspending the grocery tax on certain items. These were two of many initiatives meant to quell rising inflation. Dean Baker, a senior economist at the Center for Economic and Policy Research, described inflation as a time when “most prices are rising,” as
URBANA – Gov. JB Pritzker used local road projects in Champaign County as his backdrop Tuesday to announce the latest round of Rebuild Illinois grants. The governor’s actual backdrop was a lineup of heavy equipment at the Champaign County Highway Department building in Urbana. Standing in front of them, Pritzker listed the accomplishments of Rebuild
CHAMPAIGN – Illinois Congressman Rodney Davis hasn’t said he’s running for governor. But the 13th District U.S. representative sounded like someone who might, during a meeting with farmers in Champaign on Monday. Listen to this story here. At a meeting of his Agriculture Advisory Coalition, Davis blamed Governor J.B. Pritzker for problems in the state’s
State Rep. Darren Bailey (R-Xenia) says he will continue his court battle against Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s use of emergency powers during the COVID-19 pandemic. A transcript of an interview with Bailey is at the end of this article. Audio of the interview is here. Last week, a Sangamon County judge denied the governor’s request to
County Board Candidate Drops Out After Controversial Tweet WHEATON, Ill. (AP) — A candidate for the DuPage County board in northern Illinois withdrew from the race after being criticized for a tweet in which she said she laughed while watching a video of a police officer getting hit in the face by a projectile during
Gov. Pritzker Replaces Officials Who Oversaw COVID-19 Response In Nursing Homes Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker’s administration is replacing two top Illinois Department of Public Health officials in charge of the state’s efforts to stop the spread of COVID-19 through nursing homes. Nursing home residents account for more than half of deaths in Illinois tied to
Illinois Reports July’s Highest One-Day Total Of Virus Cases SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — As parts of the nation struggle with a worse coronavirus outbreak than during its high points last spring in other states, Illinois, where officials continue to congratulate residents for keeping the new virus in check, announced Wednesday an increasing number of newly
Police: 15 People Were Injured In A Shooting Outside A South Side Funeral Fifteen people were injured, one person was being questioned and multiple suspects were being sought after gunfire erupted outside a funeral home on Chicago’s South Side where at least one squad car was present, police said. First Deputy Superintendent Eric Carter said
UIC Gets $22M In Federal Money For Health Research Programs CHICAGO (AP) — The University of Illinois at Chicago will receive $22 million in federal funding for health research programs over the next five years. The money comes from the National Institutes of Health and goes to the university’s Center for Clinical and Translational Science.
Chicago Officials Expand Quarantine Order For Visitors CHICAGO (AP) — People traveling from Iowa and Oklahoma to Chicago will have to quarantine for two weeks upon arrival or face possible fines starting Friday. Chicago first issued a quarantine order early this month for 15 other states based on increasing numbers of confirmed cases of the
Gov. Pritzker Names New Head Of Unemployment Department Months After Complaints Pile Up Democratic Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker Thursday named a new director of the agency that manages unemployment claims after the department encountered serious problems dealing with the fallout of the coronavirus pandemic. The Illinois Department of Employment Security also started a new approach
13 Illinois ‘Bomb Squad’ Gang Members Sentenced To Prison PEORIA, Ill. (AP) — Thirteen members of a Peoria street gang known as the “Bomb Squad” have been sentenced to prison terms for a racketeering conspiracy that included murder, attempted murder, arson and drug trafficking. Federal prosecutors said one defendant was sentenced to life in prison,
Illinois Seeking New Poet Laureate, State’s First Since 2017 CHICAGO (AP) — Illinois is looking for a new poet laureate. Gov. J.B. Pritzker has launched a search committee to fill the post, which has been vacant since 2017. He said Illinois has been home to talented poets including Carl Sandburg, Gwendolyn Brooks and Sandra Cisneros,