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
The University of Illinois Board of Trustees voted earlier this month to increase health insurance premiums by more than 30 percent for students at its Urbana-Champaign campus. Beginning in the fall, undergraduate premiums will increase by almost $200 per semester, while premiums for graduate students will go up by about $230 per semester. The Graduate
Illinois Could Need 38K More Beds If Virus Isn’t Contained SPRINGFIELD – Gov. J.B. Pritzker says Illinois would need tens of thousands of additional hospital beds for COVID-19 patients within the next two weeks in a worst-case scenario amid a pandemic that has now claimed 16 lives in the state. The Democrat said at his
Pritzker Works With Manufacturers To Boost Medical Supply Orders CHICAGO – Governor J.B. Pritzker in his daily COVID-19 briefing on Monday says he has linked together the state’s manufacturers and biotech industries to boost production of medical supplies. Manufacturers in both industries were asked to focus production on essentials such as N95 masks, gloves, gowns,
Illinois COVID-19 Cases Top 1,000 URBANA – The Illinois Department of Public Health reported 296 new cases of coronavirus disease in Illinois. The number of cases now stands at 1,049 in 30 counties. There are also three new deaths: a Cook County man in his 80s, a Chicago man in his 80s and a woman
Illinois Officials: 3 More Dead, 422 Now Positive For Virus CHICAGO — Illinois public health officials say three more people have died after contracting the coronavirus and 422 people statewide have now tested positive for the disease caused by the virus. A total of four people have died in the state as a result of
Downstate’s largest running event has been postponed until later this year because of the COVID-19 outbreak. Organizers of the Christie Clinic Illinois Marathon announced Thursday that they’re postponing their events scheduled for April 23-25.
Illinois Officials Announce 4th Positive Test For Virus CHICAGO — Health officials say a person in Illinois has tested positive for COVID-19, becoming the fourth suspected case in the state. The woman is the spouse of the third patient, whose case was announced over the weekend. The Illinois and Cook County public health departments made
Bill Would Allow Parents To Opt Students Out of Shooter Drills SPRINGFIELD – Illinois lawmakers are considering whether parents should be allowed to keep their children from participating in active shooter drills at school. Some parents and school personnel say the exercises have a negative effect on children. State Sen. Scott Bennett (D-Champaign) said he’s
New Tool Will Help Farmers Calculate Crop Insurance URBANA – Farmers must make decisions about crop insurance over the next few weeks, and a new tool from the University of Illinois can help. The crop insurance calculator allows farmers to enter their state, county, crop, and other farm information, and it spits out different premiums. It was
Families Begin Moving Into Champaign’s New Bristol Development CHAMPAIGN – Champaign city officials say the first families began moving into the new Bristol Development over the weekend. The 90-units making up Phase One of the development were built on the site of the old Bristol Place neighborhood at Bradley Avenue and Market Street on the
13th District Democratic Primary Candidates Discuss Issues At Forum CHAMPAIGN – Healthcare was a major issue for both Betsy Dirksen Londrigan and Stefanie Smith at a candidate’s forum in Champaign Monday evening. But the two Democrats competing to run against U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis in Illinois’ 13th District disagreed on what’s the best plan. Smith,
OSF Healthcare Touts Emergency Care App URBANA – OSF Healthcare is encouraging people to install an app on their phone that will alert them when people nearby are in need of life-saving CPR. The PulsePoint app launched a couple years ago in Peoria and Champaign counties and recently expanded to Vermilion county. The American Heart Association says the
Survey: Most Americans Want Changes To US Health Care System URBANA – More than 90 percent of Americans say changes are needed to make the U.S. health care system more affordable and lower drug costs. That’s according to a new national survey from Public Agenda, USA Today and Ipsos. Chris Jackson is vice president of Ipsos. He
CHAMPAIGN – The National Weather Service Central Illinois office said on Wednesday afternoon that our area can expect snow into Thursday morning. However, rain will dominate southeast Illinois with freezing rain and sleet will be possible near I-70 Wednesday night which will lower snow accumulations there. Farther north snow will become lighter overnight and taper