Grundy County State’s Attorney Jason Helland, a Republican, is being urged to join an effort to repeal Illinois’ controversial SAFE-T Act, which retools multiple parts of the criminal justice system, including the elimination of cash bail.
Twelve school districts in Grundy County are opting out of Illinois’ new law that aligns sex education policies for grades K-12 with national standards.
The size of Illinois’ combined local and state government workforces declined 6.9% from July 2019 to July 2021, representing the fifth largest gap in public-employee job recovery during the pandemic, a Pew Charitable Trusts study concluded.
The 7,199 retirees in Grundy County could pay as much as $4,238.85 in state income taxes if voters approve Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s graduated tax hike amendment on Nov. 3, according to an analysis by the Grundy Reporter.
Close to 60% of the Illinois’ ventilators and nearly 30% of the state’s intensive care unit beds remain available to treat COVID-19 patients, according to hospital utilization numbers reported by the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH).
The number of influenza cases in Chicago has been plummeting in recent weeks, with no flu-related intensive care unit hospitalizations reported during the week ending April 4, the Chicago Department of Public Health reports.
The number of Illinois nursing homes ranked “much below average” now numbers 175, according to a database managed by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).
Even without the increases in the Illinois gas tax now being proposed by state lawmakers, Illinois has the 10th highest state gas taxes in the nation, according to July 2018 numbers from the Washington-based Tax Foundation.
If a current Senate bill clears the House and is signed into law, Illinois will join three other states and the District of Columbia in soon paying a minimum wage of $15 per hour.
The state legislature adjourned before taking action on Senate Bill 1597, which would require Illinois consumers to pay a 5 cent fee for every single-use paper or plastic bag, but similar proposals are being considered at the county and local levels.
Speaker Michael Madigan (D-Chicago) contributed $21.1 million to 30 state House races this election cycle, including $3,445,351 to 22 fellow Democrats in the week leading up to Tuesday’s general election.