Author: Capitol News

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Illinois reports largest daily increases in COVID-19 cases, tests

By BEN ORNER Capitol News Illinois borner@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – Illinois health officials reported the state’s largest one-day increase of COVID-19 cases and tests results Wednesday as Gov. JB Pritzker announced two new drive-thru testing facilities. The Illinois Department of Public Health reported 2,049 new cases Wednesday and 98 additional deaths. […]

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Lawmakers slowly preparing for session to reopen

By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois phancock@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – 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 […]

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Pritzker announces expanded student loan relief, SNAP benefits

By JERRY NOWICKI Capitol News Illinois jnowicki@capitolnewsillinois.com Pritzker announced that people in Illinois who still owe money on private student loans can now qualify for temporary relief while the COVID-19 pandemic continues. He also announced families with school-age children who receive food assistance will qualify for additional benefits. Pritzker said […]

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Another 200,000 Illinoisans file for unemployment claims

By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois phancock@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – More than half a million Illinois workers have filed first-time unemployment claims in the four weeks since the COVID-19 outbreak first hit the labor market. Economists at the University of Illinois are now forecasting a major economic downturn that could last […]

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COVID-19 rules unlikely to ease by April’s end

By REBECCA ANZEL Capitol News Illinois ranzel@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD — Gov. JB Pritzker said Thursday, one month since he issued a state of emergency, it is “unlikely” his stay-at-home order can be lifted safely before April 30 and organizers of large summer events “need to think seriously” about canceling them. The […]

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Central Illinois leads corn and soybean production as numbers decline across state

By BEN ORNER Capitol News Illinois borner@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – Central Illinois counties led Illinois in corn and soybean production last year as every region and nearly all counties saw decreases in both crops, according to estimates released last week by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Both production and yields for corn and soybeans fell […]