SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — Illinois officials and pediatricians are urging parents to start preparing to have their children between ages 5 and 11 vaccinated against COVID-19 when shots become available as early as next week. Gov. J.B. Pritzker said the Illinois Department of Public Health is constructing a distribution program for low-dose vaccines which the…
CHICAGO (AP) — Illinois Democrats have unveiled updated congressional maps that propose a second Latino-leaning Chicago-area district and could mean primary matchups for Democratic incumbents in the suburbs and Republican incumbents downstate. Democrats, who control state government and redistricting in Illinois, released the revised maps Saturday evening. The maps come weeks after their first draft…
CHICAGO (AP) — Illinois Democrats are getting pushback on new congressional district boundaries they proposed last week — and not just from Republicans who stand to lose U.S. House seats under the plan. Democrats who contol state government and redistricting in Illinois are expected to approve new maps as soon as next week. While it’s…
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — Legislation in the General Assembly would repeal a law requiring parents be notified at least 48 hours in advance of a minor having an abortion. Activists on both sides of the abortion issue say it’s the last restriction on abortion in Illinois. Those favoring repeal are galvanized by tight restrictions on…
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden is wielding his weapon of last resort in the nation’s fight against COVID-19. Biden is promoting vaccination requirements across the country in an effort to force the roughly 67 million unvaccinated American adults to roll up their sleeves. It’s a tactic Biden never wanted to employ. But it’s one…
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — Sign-waving, chanting crowds rallied in Illinois Saturday in support of abortion rights just weeks after Texas restrictions all but banned the procedure in that state. Thousands of people gathered in Daley Plaza in Chicago chanting, “Our body, our choice” before marching through the Loop. In Springfield, several hundred people gathered on…
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — Illinois has new legislative maps that will be used for elections over the next decade. Gov. J.B. Pritzker approved the maps Friday despite concerns from Black and Latino voters and other groups that they weren’t able to weigh in on the boundaries and won’t be fairly represented by them. It was…
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — The state’s unclaimed property program returned $226 million in unclaimed property to its rightful owners last year. State Treasurer Michael Frerichs announced last week that an estimated 174,000 claims were paid in 2020 despite a sagging economy and the strain of the COVID-19 pandemic. The treasurer’s office controls the property when…
CHICAGO (AP) — Illinois will hit a milestone Friday. That’s when the state lifts all capacity limits on bars, restaurants, businesses and other venues. It comes nearly 15 months after the first stay-at-home order during the coronavirus pandemic. The Illinois health department says more than 68% of Illinois residents who are 18 or older have…
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — Illinois lawmakers approved election changes before adjournment last month, but many continue or expand existing practices or those put in place last year to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic. They stand in sharp contrast to the restrictions on voting adopted or under consideration in Republican-controlled legislatures such as those in Texas…