Springfield News
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JUL 29, 2020
UNLOCKEDILLINOIS’ ELDERLY AT HIGHEST COVID-19 RISK — Seventy-eight percent of the people who died in Illinois to date from Covid-19 were 65 or older. That’s according to an analysis released last week from KFF, a San Francisco-based non-profit research organization that focuses on national health issues. The finding shows that Illinois is slightly below the national average (80 percent) but still above 14 other states. The worst state for deaths among the elderly is Idaho, where 94 percent of all Covid-related deaths recorded so far have been among those aged 65 and older. The state with the least is Texas at 70 percent. A presiding factor for states where a large percentage of deaths are the elderly are those that have struggled with breakouts of the virus at long-term care facilities. Those states include Idaho, New Hampshire (92 percent), Massachusetts (90 percent), Rhode Island (90 percent), Minnesota (89 percent), Connecticut (89 percent), Pennsylvania (87 percent), Ohio (86 percent), Kentucky (84 percent), and Delaware (83 percent). Illinois ranks sixth in the U.S. for total deaths for people aged 65 and up (the leading state is New York). In Illinois, the greatest impact was felt by those aged 85 and up (31 percent), followed by those aged 75-84 (25 percent), those aged 65-74 (22 percent), those 55-64 (13 percent), and those under age 55 (9 percent). (Mark Guarino)
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Gov. JB Pritzker in Rock Island Monday warning Illinoisans of an increase in Covid-19 cases.
Gov. JB Pritzker reiterated the importance of wearing masks and social distancing Monday, a refrain that comes on the heels of a rising Covid-19 positivity rate in Illinois compared with the beginning of the month. -
When House Speaker Michael Madigan was named in a federal indictment this month that connected him to an alleged 9-year scheme to bend regulations to favor the state’s biggest utility, many said it confirmed the suspicions of pay-to-play politics surrounding the house speaker for decades.
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The Illinois State Police report they have been inundated with FOID applications since February
Leaders of the Illinois State Rifle Association (ISRA) and the Second Amendment Foundation filed a federal lawsuit this week that alleged the agency approving firearms permits for first-time gun purchasers is “leaving people in limbo for months.” -
JUL 22, 2020
Gov. JB Pritzker launches a roads and bridges plan that will continue through 2026.
Gov. JB Pritzker announced a multi-year, $21.2 billion roads and bridges improvement plan Tuesday to improve infrastructure in Illinois.
Speaking in Collinsville, Pritzker said the plan will ensure the state remains a transportation hub for years to come. -
JUL 22, 2020
The statue of Stephen Douglas, and the Chicago park named in his honor, are currently in question.
Separate movements are underway to remove a statue of Civil War-era Illinois Sen. Stephen Douglas from where it stands in Bronzeville, and to rename the neighborhood and park both named in his honor on the city’s Southwest Side.
