Pritzker Again Defends High School Sports Decision, Touts Testing Capacity
After weekend protests against postponing many fall high school sports, Gov. JB Pritzker again defended the decision.
U Of I Plans To Expand COVID-19 Testing To Champaign-Urbana Community
URBANA – Administrators at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign want to expand their testing program to the broader Champaign-Urbana community. U of I System President Tim Killeen said earlier this week that the university system was working with Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker to expand its saliva-based COVID-19 test to other communities and public institutions […]
Pritzker Keeps School Sports On The Sidelines
Amid growing calls to allow contact sports to resume this fall, Illinois’ governor Tuesday appeared to double down on postponement of the seasons.
Illinois Among Last States To Apply, Be Approved For Added $300 Unemployment Benefit
SPRINGFIELD — Illinois is one of the last states to apply and be approved for a federal program providing an additional $300 in unemployment assistance per week to qualifying residents. Gov. JB Pritzker announced Monday he instructed the Illinois Department of Employment Security to submit an application “despite serious concerns about the unfairness” of the […]
Pritzker Visits Urbana To Promote Grants For COVID-Stricken Businesses
URBANA – Gov. J.B. Pritzker visited a barbecue restaurant in Urbana Thursday to showcase the first round of grants from a new state program to help small businesses hurt by the COVID-19 pandemic. The governor says Illinois’ new Business Interruption Grants, or BIG, will help small businesses that haven’t been helped by the federal government’s […]
News Around Illinois – Aug. 12, 2020
Wind Knocks Down Wall Of Fire-Gutted Historic Chicago Church CHICAGO (AP) — Strong winds caused additional damage to a historic Chicago church but may have also swept in a badly needed “blessing” for a sanctuary where Mahalia Jackson and other famed gospel singers often sang and the man considered the father of gospel music led […]
New Ad Campaign To Encourage More Use Of Masks
Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker said the five million dollar effort will use the slogan “It only works if you wear it.”
News Around Illinois – June 26, 2020
Pritzker Touts Illinois Reopening As Other States Backtrack Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced Thursday that the state is progressing much more quickly than expected into the fourth phase of his five-part Restore Illinois program in response to the coronavirus, a vaccination for which is still at least several months away. Pritzker and his state public health […]
News Around Illinois – June 23, 2020
Chicago To Join State In Reopening Museums, Zoos On Friday CHICAGO (AP) — Chicago will join the rest of Illinois in the next reopening phase starting Friday, allowing museums, gyms and zoos to open for business with restrictions in place. Public health officials said Monday that COVID-19 metrics required for reopening under state and city […]
News Around Illinois – June 12, 2020
NTSB: Plane Spiraled Before Fatal Crash In Illinois Field CARLINVILLE, Ill. (AP) — A small plane that crashed last month while heading from Missouri to Michigan, killing four men aboard, entered into a “right descending spiral” before it went down in a southwestern Illinois farm field, authorities said. Investigators will examine the wreckage to determine […]
Lawsuit: Illinois Prisons Are Failing To Protect Inmates From COVID-19
Editor’s note: This story was updated at 7:54 p.m. on May 26 to include comments from the Illinois Department of Corrections. An amended lawsuit filed against Rob Jeffreys, director of the Illinois Department of Corrections, and Gov. J.B. Pritzker last week claims that the state’s prison system has failed to protect medically vulnerable prisoners from […]
Gov. Pritzker Announces Modified Stay-At-Home Order: What Is Essential/Prohibited?
CHICAGO – Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker has extended the state’s stay-at-home order through the month of May. The order includes modifications, however, and includes some phased re-opening of state parks and non-essential businesses with social distancing guidelines. The governor also announced that people will be required to wear face masks in public places where they […]
Pritzker Concerned About Increasing COVID-19 Cases In Rural Illinois
The Illinois Department of Public Health announced 1,585 new cases of COVID-19 statewide on Saturday, and an additional 125 deaths. The total number of cases across Illinois stands at 29,160 cases with 1,259 deaths across 93 of the state’s 102 counties. Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced during a news conference Saturday that the state has yet […]
Champaign Unit 4 Offers WiFi Hotspots, Chromebooks As District Continues Remote Learning
Champaign Unit 4 Schools Superintendent Susan Zola wrote in a message to families last Friday that the district will continue to ensure students have access to meals and learning materials while at home. The message came shortly after Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced that pre-Kindergarten through 12th grade schools statewide would remain closed through the end […]
‘They Should Be Letting Guys Go’: Six Illinois Prisoners Dead From COVID-19
URBANA – At least six men incarcerated in the Stateville Correctional Center near Joliet have died after contracting COVID-19. According to the Illinois Department of Corrections, 123 people incarcerated at Stateville have tested positive for the virus along with 65 staff members. Other prisons across the state have also reported cases of the virus among […]