A report by the National Safety Council is giving Illinois favorable marks on its COVID-19 response, but said the state’s testing program was “lagging.”

The “State of Response: State Actions to Address the Pandemic” report listed Illinois and 11 other states for being “on track” to assess the safety measures they used during the pandemic.

Billionaire Ken Griffin dug into his deep pockets again, donating nearly $27 million to stop Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s proposed graduated income tax.

Griffin’s $26,750,000 donation on Wednesday raises the total amount Illinois’ richest man has contributed to the anti-tax committee to $46,750,000. The hedge fund manager donated $20 million last month.

Lemont High School English teacher Angie Duensing started the school year teaching from her dining room table. She has a busy household. Her husband, who is also a teacher, and their three children, are all also tackling school from home.

Occasionally, Duensing has had to pause her class to help her youngest child with her elementary school work.

An advisory commission is considering recommendations to reform police use-of-force policies that would emphasize de-escalation and prohibit chokeholds, among other changes.

Rockford Police Chief Dan O’Shea said he is open to the suggestions. Once the Community Relations Commission finalizes its list of more than 10 policy recommendations, he plans to review the recommendations with police command, training and accreditation staff. The commission is expect to act on Thursday.

At its meeting Monday, the Urbana City Council will discuss giving 1 percent raises to the next mayor, aldermen and city clerk.

Each of these positions is up for election in April 2021.