Get the latest news from around Illinois.
Chicago Tribune: Gov. J.B. Pritzker calls on legislature to ‘act expeditiously’ on coronavirus relief package as state reports record 4,000 new cases
On the same day Illinois reported a record number of coronavirus tests and new cases, Gov. J.B. Pritzker urged state lawmakers to “act expeditiously” on a relief package for families, small businesses and communities across the state, but stopped short of using his power to call them back to Springfield for a special session.
For weeks, the first-term Democrat has said it’s up to legislative leaders to decide when lawmakers should go back to the Capitol, even as leaders in the Republican minorities urged Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigan and Senate President Don Harmon to reconvene the General Assembly for the first time since mid-March.
The Center Square: Pritzker says he'll consider withholding federal funds from local governments that don't follow his reopening plan
Some communities around the state have made it known they plan to open for business soon, despite a stay-at-home order and the governor’s reopening plan.
Restaurants and bars have opened in Quincy. Police there say they will only issue warnings and let the state handle any further enforcement.
Belleville News-Democrat: Southwest Illinois Democrats say Pritzker is too slow on removing COVID-19 limits
Democrats in southwestern Illinois broke ranks Tuesday with Gov. J.B. Pritzker and urged him to allow more businesses to reopen, a day after he doubled down on his gradual approach.
They asked the governor to allow retail shops, manufacturing, barbershops and salons to reopen with capacity limits and other precautions on Friday. Under the governor’s plan, the earliest they can return is May 29.
Chicago Sun-Times: Don’t worry about getting stuck with expired license plate sticker, officials say
Just because the state facilities that handle Illinois drivers’ licenses and emissions testing are closed, drivers are being told not worry if their license plate registration sticker is set to expire.
Once the Illinois Secretary of State’s Driver Services facilities do reopen, residents will have 90 days to renew their expired vehicle registrations. Also put on hold is the requirement for drivers in the Chicago and Metro East regions to get their vehicles’ emissions tested before they renew their registrations.
Crain's Chicago Business: Echoing GOP, Pritzker calls on Legislature to reconvene
The governor also announced new programs to boost infrastructure programs and help cash-strapped hospitals, and said he wants to boost aid to small businesses, apartment renters and municipalities.
The Center Square: People seeking unemployment benefits in Illinois continue to report problems
The Illinois Department of Employment Security opened its expanded unemployment benefits program on Monday to temporary, part-time, contract and gig workers, but some applicants say they’re not able to navigate the process.
The expanded benefits come from the federal government under the Pandemic Unemployment Act, or PUA. The act allows workers who would not qualify for normal state-allotted benefits to get some sort of weekly pay in the light of the economic upheaval from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Daily Herald: DuPage, Kane, McHenry leaders: We shouldn't be on same reopening timeline as Cook County, Chicago
A push intensified Tuesday to let the collar counties progress separately from Cook and Chicago toward Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s COVID-19 bench marks for reopening the economy.
Leaders representing DuPage, Kane and McHenry counties called on Pritzker to remove their areas from the Northeast region under the Restore Illinois plan, which also includes Cook, Grundy, Lake, Kankakee, Kendall and Will counties.
Belleville News-Democrat: Madison County will reopen Wednesday, defying Illinois’ coronavirus stay-at-home order
Starting Wednesday, Madison County will begin its phased plan to reopen the county, officially going against Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s statewide plan to reopen Illinois.
The county Board of Health on Tuesday voted overwhelmingly to approve the resolution, 26-2, becoming one of the first counties in Illinois to defy the statewide stay-at-home order.
Chicago Sun-Times: $2.5M in coronavirus stimulus to Navy Pier Inc., clout-heavy nonprofit run by $500K exec
Navy Pier Inc., the clout-heavy not-for-profit whose president is paid more than $540,000 a year, has received a nearly $2.5 million coronavirus stimulus loan from the federal government toward salaries and other expenses.
Facing what it says are losses of $10 million, Navy Pier Inc. says the loan from the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Payroll Protection Program will cover expenses and the salaries of 147 employees, some who have been “sidelined” since the pier was shut down in March by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Center Square: Amid growing calls for changes, Pritzker says he'll alter reopening plan if needed
Some regions of the state in Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s plan to reopen Illinois’ in phases could advance to the third phase of the plan by the end of this month, but one region may not.
One state lawmaker said he is hearing more concerns about his rural county is lumped in with the wrong region and a group representing municipalities urging for data used in the plan to be retroactive.
Crain's Chicago Business: Cook County poised to announce property tax reprieve
In a statement released after two days of inquiries by me, County President Toni Preckwinkle and County Treasurer Maria Pappas said, “As we know, COVID-19 has taken a significant financial toll on so many within Cook County. Our offices have been working closely together to develop a plan to help property taxpayers during this pandemic. We anticipate announcing our plan tomorrow.”
Chicago Sun-Times: City to require restaurant delivery services to come clean about fees
Chicago food delivery services will be required to come clean about third-party delivery costs under new rules championed by Mayor Lori Lightfoot to arm consumers with the information they need to vote with their wallets.
“We just had a delivery at my house last night. And there was very little transparency around where the different charges were gonna fall, and who was gonna be bearing it,” Lightfoot said Tuesday.
Daily Herald: Lake County residents getting partial reprieve on property tax payments
Lake County taxpayers can defer half their property tax payments for 60 days under a measure approved Tuesday to provide residents with some economic breathing room.
And in a significant change over what was being considered, a proposed requirement that residents show a need for the deferral was struck by the Lake County Board, meaning the relief will be more widely available.
Capitol News Illinois: State fast-tracking $25 million for local government construction projects
The Illinois department tasked with the state’s economic development launched a program Tuesday providing grant funding to local governments for capital projects.
Its aim, said Michael Negron, assistant director of the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, is to return skilled laborers to work on road improvements, building upgrades and other ventures that can begin quickly at a time when communities are facing COVID-19-related economic struggles.
Journal Star: Peoria faces layoffs, furloughs with $10 million in cuts
It was a painful vote, but the Peoria City Council told its city manager to look at ways to cut $10 million in expenses that would mostly come in layoffs or furloughs.
By a 7-4 vote, the council took the first step to addressing the massive budget shortfalls that have been caused due to the coronavirus crisis. Voting no were Rita Ali, Beth Jensen, Chuck Grayeb and Jim Montelongo.