Get the latest news from around Illinois.
Northwest Herald: Pritzker announces new drive-thru testing sites; Illinois reports highest number of cases in a day
In an effort to achieve widespread testing, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker announced Wednesday afternoon two new drive-thru testing sites in Aurora and Rockford, which can test hundreds in a day.
The Aurora facility at Chicago Premium Outlet, located at 1650 Premium Outlet Blvd., can test up to 600 specimens a day. The Rockford facility at the University of Illinois College of Medicine Rockford, located at 1601 Parkview Ave., will open on Friday and can take up to 500 specimens a day.
The Center Square: Business group challenges emergency COVID-19 workers’ compensation rule in Illinois
A group of Illinois businesses filed a lawsuit Wednesday to challenge an emergency workers’ compensation rule change.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker asked the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission to pass emergency rule last week, which the commission did.
Crain's Chicago Business: Lightfoot's emergency powers ordinance blocked
The procedural move, known as “defer and publish,” will push the official vote on Lightfoot’s ordinance to the next City Council meeting. In response, Lightfoot moved to end today’s meeting on the spot and convene again on Friday at 1 p.m.
Daily Herald: McHenry County Board passes ordinance waiving late fees, interest on first installment of property tax payments
McHenry County Board members voted unanimously during a Tuesday night emergency meeting to approve an ordinance waiving late fees and interest accruement for the first installment of this year’s property taxes for 90 days.
The ordinance was proposed by county board Chairman Jack Franks as a way to provide economic relief to local businesses and homeowners amid the coronavirus pandemic, Franks said in a statement at the beginning of the meeting.
The Center Square: Illinois ranks 7th lowest in study of small businesses affected by coronavirus
Illinois came in seventh lowest in a new study by the WalletHub website that shows where small businesses have struggled most due to the coronavirus pandemic, based on three key dimensions.
The state earned a total score of 39.54 in the study by the personal finances website. In the “Impact and Access to Resources” category, the state received a rank of 46th; for “Small-Business Financial Conditions,” 16th; and for “Business Environment and Workforce Support Conditions,” 40th.
Crain's Chicago Business: Lightfoot proposes 'anti-retaliation' law to protect workers during COVID-19
“As I have made clear throughout this crisis, staying home means saving lives,” Lightfoot said in a statement. “An employee should never be in a position where they have to choose between staying home with COVID-19 symptoms or their job. This ordinance guarantees that an employer cannot fire an employee for following the directions of public health officials.”
Capitol News Illinois: Lawmakers slowly preparing for session to reopen
Top leaders of the Illinois House and Senate say there is still no timetable for calling lawmakers back into session, but they have launched a process for narrowing down the topics they’ll need to address whenever they do return.
In recent weeks, both the House and Senate have formed what they are calling “working groups” that are focusing primarily on how to resume state services and reboot the state’s economy once the COVID-19 pandemic subsides.
Daily Herald: Des Plaines, Park Ridge to require masks in public
The neighboring Northwest suburbs of Des Plaines and Park Ridge will soon begin enforcing new requirements for people to wear masks or other face coverings while in public during the remainder of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The two cities’ policies are largely the same except that Des Plaines’ will take effect at 12:01 a.m. Friday, April 24, and Park Ridge’s at 8 a.m. Saturday, April 25.
The Center Square: Illinois House GOP offers suggestions for modifying stay-at-home order
From allowing a slow rollout of elective medical procedures to face-covering requirements, to reopening state parks with social distancing guidelines, Illinois House Republicans are looking for changes to the governor’s stay-at-home order.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s order expires on April 30. He has said his office has been looking at making modifications to the order rather than lifting the order. He has said his office is not yet ready to release details about the changes to the order.
Capitol News Illinois: Illinois Supreme Court to conduct May cases via videoconference
Illinois’ highest court will hear its May session’s oral arguments through videoconference.
The decision, made to follow social distancing and stay-at-home orders in response to the novel coronavirus pandemic, marks the first time such technology has ever been embraced by the seven justices.
Chicago Tribune: Mayor Lori Lightfoot introduces plan to change Chicago’s city ethics rules, again allowing some elected officials to lobby city government
Mayor Lori Lightfoot on Wednesday introduced a proposal to weaken rules against elected officials lobbying the city of Chicago that aldermen pushed through late last year.
Lightfoot’s amendment to the lobbying ordinance would allow elected officials from outside Chicago to lobby the City Council, the mayor’s office and other city government offices, as long as the public body they represent doesn’t have pending or recurring legislative or contractual matters involving the city of Chicago.
Journal Star: Layoffs and a hiring freeze as East Peoria cuts budget to keep city afloat
Faced with an expanding black hole in its budget because of disappearing revenues during the current global public health crisis, the East Peoria city council this week approved cuts that included police department layoffs, the elimination of a recently enhanced recycling program and the reduction of operating expenses across the city.
“Not a single person here wants to make these kinds of decisions,” Mayor John Kahl told whatever unseen audience was remotely watching Tuesday’s council meeting on a television or computer screen. “This is unchartered waters for all of us.”
Chicago Sun-Times: City’s new top cop sets lofty crime-fighting goals: ‘I’m not here for average ... Chicagoans deserve a moonshot’
Retired Dallas Police chief David Brown advised Chicagoans Wednesday to “Buckle your seatbelts. We’re headed to the moon” after his appointment as Chicago’s 63rd police superintendent was unanimously approved by the City Council.
“I’m not here for average. The last four days as acting superintendent, I’ve talked to the command staff about moon-shot goals. Reminding them about how this country raced against the Russians to be the first to land on the moon,” said Brown, 59.
State Journal-Register: Teachers union president ‘disappointed’ about health insurance vote
Springfield Education Association leaders and District 186 teachers are fuming after a board of education vote approved a new health insurance plan at Monday’s meeting.
The approval will boost deductibles for singles and families under the insurance plan as well as boost co-pays, and prescription costs. The vote went against the recommendations of the health insurance committee.