Get the latest news from around Illinois.
WBEZ: Coronavirus in Illinois: Officials report more than 1,000 new COVID-19 cases and 33 additional deaths
Illinois officials reported 12,262 cases of COVID-19 as of Monday afternoon and 307 deaths. Worldwide, there were more than 1.2 million cases and more than 69,700 deaths as of Monday, according to Johns Hopkins University.
Read below for details on latest developments: Illinois records more than 1,000 new cases; Lightfoot says disproportionate black deaths are “devastating”; virus hits workers at major stores; lawsuit vs. Cook County Jail; rape reports drop during stay-home order; Brookfield Zoo staff layoffs; blacks are 70% of Chicago’s virus deaths.
State Journal-Register: Pritzker pleads with people to stick to the stay at home order
With warm weather expected in Illinois Tuesday, Gov. JB Pritzker and Public Health Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike pleaded with people to not congregate outside and set back the state’s efforts to control the COVID-19 virus.
Pritzker also said it is a good idea to heed advice coming out of Washington to put off grocery shopping and other activities for the next two weeks as the spread of the virus is expected to intensify.
Crain's Chicago Business: S&P move signals possible junk status soon for Illinois debt
In a little-noticed action on April 3, the New York financial firm moved Illinois’ credit from BBB-/stable to BBB-/negative. That means that the state’s ability to repay debt is slipping, in S&P’s, with a strong possibility that the actual rating could be lowered in coming months.
Chicago Sun-Times: Lightfoot declares ‘public health red-alarm’ about racial disparity in COVID-19 deaths
Mayor Lori Lightfoot on Monday declared a “public health red alarm” after learning that 70 percent of the Chicago deaths from the coronavirus are African Americans and promised a “robust and immediate comprehensive plan” to confront the disparity.
Long before the COVID-19 pandemic brought everyday life in Chicago to a halt, Health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady had said her primary goal was narrowing the nine-year gap in life expectancy between black and white Chicagoans.
Belleville News-Democrat: St. Clair County delaying property tax bills as relief from coronavirus economy
St. Clair County has announced it will delay mailing out property tax bills to provide residents some relief during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Real estate property tax bills that are usually sent out in May and collected in two installments in late June and August. The county announced Monday it will instead send mail them on June 15 in an effort to help those struggling financially due to the coronavirus.
The Center Square: Pritzker says more needed from federal government to address Illinois’ finances
Gov. J.B. Pritzker is counting on help from the federal government to shore up the state’s finances as the number of COVID-19 cases in Illinois continues to climb.
Public health officials on Monday announced 1,006 new cases of COVID-19 and an additional 33 deaths for a total of 12,262 cases and 307 deaths. Cases have been reported in 73 of the state’s 102 counties. The Illinois Department of Public Health reported for the first time on Monday that of the 12,262 COVID-19 cases, 3,680 people were hospitalized.
Chicago Tribune: Pritzker signs executive order allowing medical furloughs for IDOC inmates vulnerable to coronavirus
Gov. J.B. Pritzker has expanded eligibility for inmates’ medical furloughs in hopes of minimizing the spread of COVID-19 in state prisons.
Under an executive order signed Monday, the Illinois Department of Corrections director can allow “medically vulnerable” inmates to temporarily leave prison for as long as the state’s disaster proclamation is in effect.
The Center Square: Illinois SNAP users to get maximum benefit for April, May
Eligible Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program users in Illinois will automatically get additional benefits starting Tuesday for April and May to help amid the COVID-19 outbreak, the Illinois Department of Human Services announced Monday.
“No Illinoisan should ever have to worry about where their next meal is coming from, especially during an ongoing public health emergency,” Gov. J.B. Pritzker said in a statement. “Expanding the amount of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits people receive will help families stay safe and healthy in the coming months.”
Crain's Chicago Business: Tollway traffic drops, but trucks roll on for now
Passenger traffic was down 55 percent from the tollway’s forecast during the first week of the stay-at-home order, which went into effect March 21, the tollway says.
The Center Square: Group calls for quick fixes to Illinois unemployment filing issues
An Illinois organization is calling on the governor to fix the state’s unemployment filing system.
Many Illinoisans who have tried to file for unemployment have said the state’s website was not working and no one was answering calls.
Crain's Chicago Business: State offers pandemic workers child care help
At his daily news conference on COVID-19—Pritzker and Illinois Department of Public Health Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike entered the Thompson Center press room wearing face masks—the governor said that as of April 1, all such workers now automatically qualify for the state’s child care assistance program. The state will pick up “most or all” of the cost, he said. “Our essential workforce deserves to know their kids are safe and cared for in a small and affordable group setting.”
Chicago Tribune: Illinois lawmakers vow to push forward with a ban on prone restraint in schools
State lawmakers said Monday that they will push for a law to ban face-down restraint of children in Illinois schools after learning that education officials had reversed their positions and decided to allow the controversial practice.
The lawmakers’ response came after the Chicago Tribune and ProPublica Illinois reported Monday that the Illinois State Board of Education, pressured by a few schools that regularly use prone restraint, quietly decided to allow the technique until July 2021 with the hope that it would then be phased out.
Chicago Sun-Times: Despite ‘Crimson Contagion’ pandemic drills, Chicago didn’t fill public health jobs
Mayor Lori Lightfoot hasn’t shied from ripping President Donald Trump and his administration for moving too slowly in response to the growing coronavirus pandemic, but her own administration got caught flatfooted on staffing of emergency-preparedness workers.
A series of public health exercises took place in Chicago and other cities last year to prepare for a pandemic like the one that’s crippling America today.
Belleville News-Democrat: Alton police put pinch on parties — and nab mayor’s wife violating stay-at-home rule
Alton Mayor Brant Walker instructed his police department to push enforcement of Illinois’ stay-at-home orders a little bit harder, a measure he said was due to continued assembly of large groups at city parks and other places.
In the early morning hours Sunday, Alton police did as ordered, and caught caught the mayor’s wife at a party.
Chicago Tribune: Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot defends getting a haircut amid coronavirus outbreak, says stylist wore ‘a mask and gloves’
Mayor Lori Lightfoot defended getting a haircut over the weekend even though barbers and stylists were shut down under the state’s stay-at-home order, saying she’s the face of the city and the woman who cut her hair wore a mask.
Asked about photos on social media showing her with a stylist, Lightfoot acknowledged getting a haircut, then said the public cares more about other issues.
Crain's Chicago Business: How small-biz owners can get COVID relief
The red tape may seem daunting, and there have been some snarls at the federal level, but officials are working through the snags so it’s probably best to dive right in sooner rather than later with a bid to beat the competition to limited resources. Here’s a primer on the programs and what’s needed to land assistance.
Belleville News-Democrat: Why aren’t southwestern Illinois officials releasing more about coronavirus patients?
Public health officials in southwestern Illinois are just beginning to reveal — or consider revealing — which towns are home to people who tested positive for COVID-19.
As the number of cases in the metro-east rose from two to 82 between March 14 and March 31, the region’s health officials followed the state’s lead and limited the release of information to each patient’s county of residence, gender and age range. The lack of details frustrates some residents who want to know where those infected with the new coronavirus live and which businesses they’ve visited.
Chicago Tribune: CPS estimates 115,000 students need computers for e-learning as it tries to close ‘unacceptable digital divide’
Chicago Public Schools will distribute computers to the highest-need students, with priority given to eighth graders, juniors and seniors, who are all at critical moments in their educational careers.
Priority is also recommended for students in temporary living situations, students with special needs, English learners and those in Advanced Placement or dual credit courses that require e-learning, according to guidance given to principals late Thursday. Financial need is also a factor, but with three-quarters of CPS students coming from low-income households, principals are facing tough decisions.
Chicago Tribune: Lottery jackpots are getting smaller. You can blame the coronavirus.
Winning a Mega Millions lottery prize worth hundreds of millions of dollars was always a long, long shot, but soon it will be nearly impossible.
The group that oversees the lottery game announced Friday it was following the lead of Powerball, the other national lottery game, and reducing its future jackpots.
Belleville News-Democrat: Coronavirus renews debate over shopping bag fees in Edwardsville and other cities
Coronavirus has prompted the city of Edwardsville to postpone implementation of an ordinance that would have required large retailers to start charging a shopping bag fee on April 1.
Edwardsville City Council made the decision in mid-March after recognizing that social-distancing restrictions were likely to last longer than expected and that local businesses were already facing big challenges, according to Ward 5 alderman Will Krause.