Get the latest news headlines from around Illinois.
NBC Chicago: Illinois Mask Mandate: New Indoor Mask Requirements Take Effect Monday
Illinois’ reinstated mask mandate takes effect Monday, requiring residents over the age of 2 to wear face coverings in indoor settings.
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker re-issued the mask mandate for the state Thursday, saying the state is “running out of time as our hospitals run out of beds.”
FOX Illinois: Hotel industry near pre-pandemic levels; state fair was a big help
The hotel and tourism industry is seeing numbers spike back up to pre-pandemic levels. This year’s Illinois state fair was a big help.
The Springfield Hotel and Lodging Association saw a tremendous uptick in hotel occupancy around the city during the first weekend of the fair.
WGN: What percentage of Illinois households receive food stamps?
Prior to the coronavirus pandemic, food insecurity throughout the United States affected more than 37 million people, among them 11 million children. That number, though staggering, represented the lowest point of food insecurity in the country in almost 90 years. Against the backdrop of the ongoing pandemic, national hunger-relief organization Feeding America expects more than 42 million Americans to face food shortages during 2021.
This demand puts additional strain on already-strapped food pantries and hunger-relief organizations, and drives significant need for increases in the country’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, also known previously as food stamps).