More Than 2,000 New COVID-19 Cases In Illinois; 7-Day Rolling Positivity Rate Drops
CHICAGO – Illinois reported 2,088 new COVID-19 cases Saturday, bringing the total to 92,457 in 100 counties in the state. An additional 74 deaths brings the total fatalities to 4,129. The state’s 7-day rolling positivity rate lowered a bit further, at 15% Saturday, a decrease from 16% Friday and 17% Thursday. Gov. J.B. Pritzker says the drop in the positivity rate is due to increased testing throughout the state. In the last 24 hours, Illinois has conducted 23,047 COVID-19 tests, for a total of more than 561,000 to date.
Macon County reported three new COVID-19 cases for a total of 164 cases, but no new deaths, leaving the total fatalities at 17. In Coles County, eight new cases were reported Saturday for a total of 83. As of Saturday, 3 people were hospitalized and 23 had recovered. 45 cases have been linked to Charleston Rehab/Healthcare, a nursing home in Coles County, though not all of the cases live in the county. The county reported no new deaths, for a total of 4 deaths. – Lecia Bushak, Illinois Newsroom
Pilot Rescued At State Park After Plane Crashed Into Tree
MACOMB — Authorities say the pilot of a small plane was rescued after the plane he was flying crashed and got stuck in a tree in Argyle Lake State Park. The McDonough County Sheriff’s Office says the plane crashed Friday afternoon, trapping the 75-year-old pilot in a tree about 50 feet in the area. Authorities received a distress call from the pilot of a Cessna 172M Skyhawk around 4:30 p.m. Deputies located the pilot in the tree, which was about a mile from the nearest roadway. The pilot had minor injuries. – Associated Press
Settlement Could Mean $300 For Some Illinois Facebook Users
CHICAGO — Some Illinois Facebook users could receive as much as $300 from a $550 million settlement in a class-action suit alleging the social media site’s facial-tagging feature violated state privacy law. But the Chicago Tribune reports that there is no timeline yet for when people will be notified of eligibility or when payments could be issued. A federal judge in California still must approve the details. Illinois law permits people to sue companies that don’t get consent before collecting consumers’ data. Attorneys alleged in the 2015 lawsuit that Facebook’s photo tagging feature was powered by facial recognition data used to create and store “face templates.” – Associated Press
