Today marks day 700 of life in Illinois under Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s emergency executive orders. Other governors, including neighboring Iowa, are rolling back executive control, and the majority of Midwest states are no longer under emergency authority.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker is keeping Illinois’ indoor mask mandate in place through Feb. 28. Schools statewide will be required to keep students and staff masked.
Gov. J.B Pritzker is appealing a state court ruling striking down Illinois’ mask mandate in schools. His appeal and his 24th emergency declaration come as California and Connecticut join a growing list of states loosening their restrictions.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker said he is “hopeful” Illinois could soon drop statewide pandemic protocols after COVID-19 dropped by half. His peers in Delaware, New Jersey and earlier Iowa dropped their mask mandates.
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds said after two years of COVID-19 mitigations and a sharp decline in rates, she believes Iowans will make the safe choices without laws forcing them. Pritzker does not share that confidence in Illinoisans.
Illinois leads the nation in local government bloat, with over 6,000 taxing bodies. The Citizen’s Empowerment Act, sponsored by Illinois House Rep. Jonathan Carroll, would make it easier for Illinois taxpayers to dissolve unnecessary layers of government.
The lawsuit filed on behalf of millions of ratepayers sought to recover the costs incurred during Commonwealth Edison’s attempts to sway former House Speaker Mike Madigan. It was dismissed for a second time.
Secretary of State Jesse White said the offices will reopen over the next two days as drivers’ facilities resume in-person services after the Omicron peak. Governor offers no such assurances about lifting mitigations in the state.
Illinois has the strictest latchkey law of any state. A new bill looks to change the minimum age parents can legally leave their children home alone from 14 to 12.
Chicago Ald. Byron Sigcho-Lopez argued a publicly elected official facing corruption charges should not be able to use campaign funds for a legal defense. If the person is not running for office, the legal bills are a “personal” expense, he contended.
The Illinois General Assembly is without a watchdog. The former legislative inspector general quit after saying she was just a paper tiger. Now lawmakers cannot agree on her replacement.
Restaurant owners in Chicago communities with low COVID-19 vaccination rates, mostly on the city’s South and West sides, say pushback against the vaccine proof mandate has hurt sales and cost them customers.
Chicago Ald. Patrick Daley Thompson was implicated in the plea agreement of a former bank employee who federal prosecutors said played a critical role in the embezzlement scheme. She said millions in theft was covered up before the bank failed.
Chicago Ald. Edward Burke was secretly videotaped in City Hall by federal authorities as part of the corruption probe into Illinois politics. Burke reportedly confided in an informant how they would avoid being caught.