Republicans are calling for their Democratic counterparts in the Illinois House to join them in efforts to repeal criminal justice reforms, known as the Safety, Accountability, Fairness and Equity-Today Act, commonly known as the SAFE-T Act. Reps. Patrick Windhorst, R-Metropolis, Ryan Spain, R-Peoria, and Deanne Mazzochi, R-Elmhurst, joined House GOP Leader Jim Durkin, R-Western Springs, […]
Politics
Tracy announces re-election bid with newer, larger district
Tracy has represented the 47th District since 2016 and was a state representative from 2006 until 2014. Democrat-controlled redistricting this year pushed that district to the north split Adams County, which will be represented in both the 47th and the 50th Senate Districts.
West-Central Illinois communities struggle with lack of teachers; annual survey indicates problem is getting worse
SPRINGFIELD – Matt Plater has been in charge of school districts for more than two decades. Something is happening he’s never seen before. Jobs that used to draw hundreds of applications now get a dozen. More specialized positions might not get any at all. “It’s horrible,” he said. “This is my 23rd year as a […]
Survey shows Illinois schools face worsening educator shortage
SPRINGFIELD – School officials across Illinois say a shortage of teachers and substitutes is forcing them to cancel course offerings, move them online or fill open positions with people who are not fully qualified. Those are the findings of the latest survey by the Illinois Association of Regional Superintendents of Schools, the fifth such survey […]
Frese announces re-election run
Rep. Randy Frese (R-Paloma) has announced he is running for re-election to be one of three people who will represent Adams County in the Illinois House of Representatives.
Illinois stays vaccine, testing mandate on larger public employers after Supreme Court ruling
After the U.S. Supreme Court ruling Thursday against the Biden administration’s vaccine or testing mandate on employers of more than 100 employees, it’s expected the Illinois Department of Labor’s COVID-19 vaccine or testing mandate will be withdrawn. The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday blocked the Biden administration’s vaccine mandate on private sector businesses with more […]
COVID spike forces General Assembly to call off in-person sessions next week
SPRINGFIELD – A continuing sharp spike in COVID-19 cases being driven by the omicron variant has pushed the state’s hospital capacity to its limits and is prompting the state to bring in additional health care workers from other states and countries. Gov. JB Pritzker said Wednesday that more than 2,000 additional health care workers have […]
IDOC pauses some prisoner intakes from county jails due to Omicron surge
IDOC is utilizing space normally reserved for new admissions to safely quarantine and isolate incarcerated individuals who have been exposed or tested positive for COVID-19. The Department will continue accepting individuals from county jails who are scheduled to be released from custody the same day they are transferred.
Hospitalizations, deaths spike in Illinois as omicron variant spreads
SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Department of Public Health said Friday that the state had recorded 201,428 new cases of COVID-19 over the previous week, a 57 percent increase over the previous week, while the weekly number of deaths rose 15 percent, to 444 as the omicron variant of the virus continues to spread. Those cases […]
Illinois Department of Labor: Public employers comply with state vaccine rules, private employers comply with federal rules
Rules filed Friday by the Illinois Department of Labor require vaccines or testing mandates for employers of more than 100 employees. Monday was the deadline for large employers to provide their vaccine or testing mandate policies to the federal government. The fate of the mandates remains uncertain. During Friday’s oral arguments in the case where […]
