Republican Venture Capitalist To Run For Illinois Governor
CHICAGO — A San Francisco venture capitalist is the latest Republican to run for the chance to unseat Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker. Jesse Sullivan, an Illinois native, has nearly $11 million in donations and released a video Thursday kicking off his campaign. However, any candidate faces an uphill battle against Pritzker who is seeking re-election […]
Pritzker Reinstates Mask Mandate; Requires Vaccines For All Teachers
Gov. JB Pritzker on Thursday morning announced a reinstated mask mandate for all Illinoisans aged two and over in public indoor settings, no matter their vaccination status, in addition to making Illinois the seventh state in the nation to require teachers get vaccinated against COVID-19. All those on university campuses and health care settings will […]
WATCH LIVE: Gov. Pritzker’s August 26 COVID-19 Update: Mask And Vaccine Mandate
WATCH LIVE: Today at 10:00 AM Gov. Pritzker will announce a reinstated mask mandate for all Illinoisans aged two and over in public indoor settings, in addition to making Illinois the seventh state in the nation to require teachers get vaccinated against COVID-19. The questions we receive from you directly inform the stories we tell and […]
Slow Down And Move Over: New Laws Aim To Strengthen Scott’s Law
SPRINGFIELD – Seventeen crashes involving Illinois state troopers or their vehicles have occurred in 2021 as a result of violations to the state’s traffic law known as “Scott’s Law.” Gov. JB Pritzker signed a new law Thursday, Senate Bill 1913, allowing judges to issue community service among other penalties to those violating the law, which […]
First Lawsuit Filed Over Pritzker’s School Mask Mandate
SPRINGFIELD — Prolific anti-COVID mitigation attorney Tom DeVore on Monday filed suit over Gov. JB Pritzker’s mandate requiring all students, faculty and staff at Illinois schools wear masks in the face of the coronavirus’ more contagious Delta variant spreading across the state. DeVore filed the suit on behalf of a father of a student in […]
New Laws Aim To Prevent “Period Poverty”
EDWARDSVILLE — Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed legislation Thursday that will expand access to feminine hygiene products for impoverished and homeless women and college students. Pritzker said the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted women being disproportionately forced to make sacrifices because of monetary trouble. “Keep a job or stay home to care for children, pay the rent […]
Pritzker Has ‘No Plans’ For Added Mitigations; ‘Local Control’ Focus Of School Guidelines
SPRINGFIELD – The wide availability of COVID-19 vaccines has changed the state’s approach for mitigating the virus’ spread statewide and in schools. For school districts, that means suggested rather than required guidance, with an emphasis on local control in imposing mitigations. For the governor’s office, that means there are “no plans” to reinstate some of […]
State To Pick Overdue Marijuana Dispensary Winners By Aug. 19
SPRINGFIELD – More than a year after new marijuana dispensary licenses were scheduled to be distributed per the state’s 2019 adult-use legalization law, the governor’s office announced the initial lottery and two new ones will happen by the end of August. The state also announced the award of more than 200 other licenses for […]
Illinois Supreme Court To ‘Triage’ Eviction Cases
SPRINGFIELD – With the state-imposed moratorium on residential evictions set to expire Aug. 1, the Illinois Supreme Court announced a plan Thursday that provides an additional one-month “triage” period for tenants and landlords in certain cases to seek rental assistance. Gov. JB Pritzker first issued an executive order prohibiting residential evictions in March 2020 in […]
Pritzker Signs Ban On Deceptive Interrogation Of Minors, Other Criminal Justice Reforms
SPRINGFIELD – Terrill Swift spent 15 years in prison, convicted of a rape and murder which DNA evidence later proved he did not commit. On Thursday, he appeared alongside lawmakers and criminal justice reform advocates in support of a bill signed by Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker to ban deceptive police interrogation of minors. The measure, […]
Illinois Reports Zero COVID Deaths For First Time Since Pandemic Began, But Delta Variant Coming From Missouri
SPRINGFIELD — The Illinois Department of Public Health on Tuesday reported zero deaths from COVID-19 were recorded on Monday — the first time the state has seen no COVID deaths in nearly 16 months. That figure is subject to change if IDPH receives supplementary reports of COVID deaths from Monday, but state leaders cheered the […]
‘I Wanted More,’ Pritzker Says Of Ethics Bill
SPRINGFIELD — Governor JB Pritzker wants to make it clear that he’s not a wholesale believer in the ethics reform package Democratic lawmakers pushed through the legislature this week. The Democrat, who has less than a year and a half left in his first term as governor, takes umbrage with the suggestion he claimed any […]
New Health Care Law Aims To Stop Systemic Racism
SPRINGFIELD — Before Vallena Adkinson’s 35-year-old daughter Helen Heath died in March from complications of the autoimmune disease lupus, Adkinson spent years navigating a health care system she said treated her daughter poorly because she was Black. She said during her daughter’s hospital stays, she was often treated rudely when seeking better treatment for Heath, […]
Lawmakers Demand Pritzker Open Unemployment Offices To Public, Want Answers On Fraud Payments
SPRINGFIELD — Illinois’ Department of Employment Security has received more than 1.3 million fraudulent claims for unemployment benefits since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. But, the state isn’t making public how much money has actually been paid out to fraudsters. Gov. JB Pritzker this week said an ongoing federal investigation into pandemic-related unemployment fraud […]
Fully Vaccinated Illinoisans Can Ditch Their Masks In Most Circumstances: Pritzker
SPRINGFIELD — Gov. JB Pritzker on Monday said Illinoisans who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 no longer need to wear face masks in most circumstances. Pritzker’s announcement follows updated guidelines released last week by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention . The updated executive order allows vaccinated people to ditch their masks, both outdoors […]