Get the latest news from around Illinois.
ABC 7 Chicago: Bill proposes unvaccinated Illinois COVID patients pay out of pocket for treatment
A bill filed in the Illinois statehouse Monday would require unvaccinated COVID patients to pay for healthcare expenses related to the virus out of pocket.
The bill was introduced by Democratic State Rep. Jonathan Carroll (D-Northbrook). He said it comes down to personal responsibility.
The Center Square: Federal court hearings begin Tuesday over Illinois’ legislative maps
Hearings into the fate of the state’s legislative maps begin Tuesday with deadlines for upcoming elections looming.
Democrats at the statehouse passed partisan drawn maps for state lawmakers for the next ten years. The first maps they drew in May and Gov. J.B. Pritzker enacted in June were based on estimates.
Commercial-News: Danville officials still wait on casino suitability hearing
The Illinois Gaming Board meets Wednesday for its last regularly scheduled 2021 meeting, and its agenda doesn’t include any action items for Danville’s casino license.
“We did create a video to be presented as part of our suitability hearing,” Danville Mayor Rickey Williams Jr. said. “But we don’t know yet when that suitability hearing will take place.”
The Center Square: More than 182,000 fewer Illinoisans in labor force than two years ago
More than 180,000 fewer Illinoisans are looking for work than there were two years ago, and that’s one reason behind the flood of “Help Wanted” signs around every corner.
Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows Illinois’ unemployment rate for October was 6%. While that’s down from the year before where it was 8.1% in October 2020, and down from the pandemic high of 16.5% in April 2020, it’s still higher than the national average of 4.6% for October 2021.
WGN: Emergency assistance now available for Illinois landlords, renters
There’s new emergency assistance for Illinois landlords and renters struggling through the pandemic.
Governor JB Pritzker announced Monday nearly $300 dollars is now available the Illinois rental payment program.
MyStateline.com: NAACP suing Illinois over new voting districts
The NAACP and the United Congress of Community and Religious Organizations are suing the State of Illinois.
The organizations claimed that the state’s newly drawn voting districts unlawfully split up the Black voting population around East St. Louis. They also alleged that the new maps are part of an effort to secure the re-election of a White incumbent in a nearby district.
Daily Journal: ISBE releases 2021 standardized testing data
The Illinois State Board of Education released school- and district-level assessment data Wednesday, providing more insight into the effect of remote learning and what students need to recover, according to an ISBE news release.
The state board emphasized the release data can inform local dialogue and decisions about allocating federal pandemic relief funds to support the students in the greatest need.