Coronavirus Information Center
Updated: March 30 11:15 p.m. The Latest on the coronavirus pandemic, which has infected more than 500,000 people and killed more than 23,000 worldwide. The COVID-19 illness causes mild or moderate symptoms in most people, but severe symptoms are more likely in the elderly or those with existing health problems. As of March 29, nearly 4,600 people […]
‘A Lot Of These Older Guys Are Gonna Die’: COVID-19 Hits Illinois Prisons
Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced this week that Illinois prisons would be closed to new inmates in response to growing concern about the COVID-19 pandemic spreading within Illinois’ correctional facilities. As of Sunday, at least eight incarcerated men at Stateville Correctional Center have tested positive for the virus, along with multiple staff members at the prison. […]
News Around Illinois – March 26, 2020
Illinois Delays Income Tax Deadline As Virus Cases Climb CHICAGO — Illinois taxpayers will have until July 15 to file and pay their state income taxes because of the coronavirus pandemic. Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced the three-month delay Wednesday as officials reported an elderly resident has died at a suburban Chicago nursing home where dozens […]
Advocates Demand Illinois Release Youth From Juvenile Detention Centers Amid Coronavirus Outbreak
Advocates and correctional officials are calling on Illinois and other states across the country to release youth from juvenile detention facilities amid the COVID-19 pandemic. There are currently about 200 youth incarcerated in Illinois’ juvenile detention facilities. A recent report from the Children and Family Justice Center at Northwestern University found that more than 90% […]
News Around Illinois – March 23, 2020
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 […]
News Around Illinois – March 17, 2020
Currently, there are 105 individuals in 15 Illinois counties who have tested positive for COVID-19. Click here for a map of the affected counties and other resources from WILL’s Coronavirus Information Center. Illinois Governor: Election Still On, Despite Virus Concerns SPRINGFIELD — Gov. J.B. Pritzker says the primary election in Illinois will proceed despite a […]
Illinois Prisons Ban Visits Amid Coronavirus Fears, Inmates Not Being Tested For Virus
The Illinois Department of Corrections announced Friday that visitors will be temporarily barred from the state’s correctional facilities in an effort to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. Prison officials say they haven’t identified any positive cases of coronavirus among staff or incarcerated people. IDOC Spokesperson Lindsey Hess says there are more than 50 men […]
Illinois COVID-19 Cases Grow To 11; Disaster Proclamation Declared
CHICAGO – Illinois now has 11 confirmed cases of COVID-19. On Monday afternoon, Governor JB Pritzker announced four new cases of the coronavirus in the state. He also formally declared a disaster proclamation. That opens up pathways to federal and state resources, including money and medical expertise. While the risk of getting coronavirus remains low, Pritzker […]
Illinois Man Who Went To Italy Is State’s 5th COVID-19 Case
SPRINGFIELD — Gov. J.B. Pritzker has confirmed a fifth case of COVID-19 in Illinois. He said Thursday that the patient is a man in his 20s who traveled to Italy. He is in isolation at a Chicago hospital in stable condition. Pritzker and cabinet officials offered reassurance that the risk of widespread outbreak of the […]
News Around Illinois – February 28, 2020
Fees, Not Tuition Rising At Danville Area Community College DANVILLE – Student fees will be going up at Danville Area Community College, but tuition will remain the same. Trustees for the community college voted unanimously Thursday to increase the technology-and-activity fee for students from $20 per credit hour to $25. The college’s basic tuition rate […]
News Around Illinois – February 21, 2020
Higher Profits, Lower Sales For Deere In First Quarter Despite a decline in sales, profits rose for John Deere in first quarter results reported Friday morning. Profits rose four per cent to $1.63 per share, compared with $1.54 last year at this time. Worldwide sales fell four percent, to 7.6 billion dollars. For its two […]
Mixed Reaction To Gov. Pritzker’s Budget Address
Republican reaction to Democratic Governor J.B. Pritzker’s budget address has been mixed. Pritzker is proposing a $40.7 billion state budget. He dressed it up Wednesday by dangling the prospect of a $1.4 billion revenue boost if voters approve an income-tax overhaul this fall. The second-year Democrat presented a fiscal outline with virtually no spending increase. […]
Gov. Pritzker To Deliver Budget Address Wednesday
[perfectpullquote align=”left” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””] Listen to WILL-AM 580 11am: The 21st Noon: Budget Address Live [/perfectpullquote] Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker is set to deliver his annual budget address Wednesday. Rep. Greg Harris is the No. 2 Democrat in the Illinois House. He says he’s glad the governor already called for more […]
Chicago Flooding Spurs Local, State Disaster Proclamations
CHICAGO – Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot have issued disaster proclamations stemming from flood damage along the Lake Michigan shoreline. The local and state proclamations issued Thursday aimed at boosting funding for recovery and rebuilding efforts along more than 30 miles of shoreline in Cook and Lake counties affected by the […]
In First For Pritzker, General Assembly Overrides Veto
Illinois Senators overwhelmingly override Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s veto of a sales tax exemption Wednesday, a day after member of the House did the same. It’s the first time that’s happened during Pritzker’s time in office. The 54-to-1 Senate vote reinstates a tax break for private jet maintenance companies. They’ll be able to buy aircraft parts […]