Governor vows to increase testing as COVID-19 cases surge
CHICAGO (AP) – Gov. J.B. Pritzker says Illinois will soon more than double the number of COVID-19 tests it can administer each day as the number of cases in the state surged.
Chicago residents call for rent freeze during pandemic
CHICAGO (AP) – Some Chicago residents are calling for a rent freeze, saying the pandemic has caused extreme financial hardships.
Tornado damages homes, uproots trees in northern Illinois
OREGON, Ill. (AP) – Weather officials have confirmed a tornado touched down in northern Illinois damaging homes and uprooting trees.
Coronavirus concerns imperil Illinois’ equine industry
CHICAGO (AP) – Illinois’ equine industry is being threatened as the state adopts social distancing guidelines in response to growing coronavirus concerns.
MacMurray College to close after 174 years
JACKSONVILLE, Ill. (AP) – A central Illinois college will close its doors after 174 years due to declining enrollment and other financial challenges.
E-learning a challenge Chicago schools amid virus closures
CHICAGO (AP) – Unprecedented school closures in Illinois caused by the coronavirus pandemic have left many school systems with a major challenge to improve e-learning methods.
Iowa governor’s medical procedures order halts abortions
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – A move by Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds to halt elective medical procedures during the coronavirus emergency has halted abortions in the state.
Surgeon general: Chicago among ‘hot spot’ cities for virus
CHICAGO (AP) – The U.S. surgeon general says Chicago is among a number of American cities identified as a “hot spot” for COVID-19 cases and that it will see numbers continue to rise.
Illinois could need 38K more beds if virus isn’t contained
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) – Illinois would have to double the number of available hospital beds in the next two weeks to treat COVID-19 patients if the coronavirus is not contained amid a pandemic that has claimed 16
Illinois gov’s critique of fed virus response angers Trump
CHICAGO (AP) – Gov. J.B. Pritzker says Illinois is not receiving enough medical supplies in its fight against the coronavirus.
Illinois governor imposes stay-at-home order to curb virus
CHICAGO (AP) — Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Friday ordered all state residents to remain in their homes except for essentials, joining similar dramatic efforts in California and New York to limit the spread of the coronavirus.
Illinois officials: 3 more dead, 422 now positive for virus
CHICAGO (AP) – Illinois public health officials say three more people have died after contracting the coronavirus and 422 people statewide have tested positive for the disease caused by the virus.
Cancellations, delays at Chicago airport after virus results
CHICAGO (AP) – Operations at Chicago’s Midway International Airport remained limited a day after federal authorities closed the control tower after technicians tested positive for the coronavirus.
Chicago woman in 60s is state’s 1st COVID-19 patient death
CHICAGO (AP) – Gov. J.B. Pritzker has announced the first death in Illinois of a person who tested positive for the coronavirus.
Detainees walk out of cells, into voting booths in Chicago
CHICAGO (AP) — Sirjerathan Wilson never thought it was worth the trouble to vote and never had. But inside Cook County Jail, Wilson sees it differently: voting is a chance to remind himself that his opinion matters
5 Republicans vying for long-shot chance to unseat Durbin
CHICAGO (AP) — Five Republicans are vying for the chance to mount a long-shot challenge to U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin in the sole statewide race on Tuesday’s primary ballot.
Illinois Governor: Election still on, despite virus concerns
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) – Gov. J.B. Pritzker says the primary election in Illinois will proceed despite a spreading COVID-19 and new federal suggestions that gatherings of 10 or more people be avoided.
Illinois House postpones session over COVID-19 concerns
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) – The Illinois House on Monday postponed its session in Springfield until danger from spreading COVID-19 abates.
6 years in prison for DuPage man who stole student aid
WHEATON, Ill. (AP) — A man who pleaded guilty to stealing more than $225,000 in student loans from the College of DuPage has been sentenced to six years in prison.
Man accused of threatening girl for photos pleads guilty
CHICAGO (AP) — An Illinois man accused of threatening a girl into sending explicit photos has pleaded guilty to possessing child pornography and sexually exploiting a child.
Sheriffs sue Illinois over law on immigrant prisoners
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — A group of sheriffs is suing Illinois to halt a 2017 law that bans police from detaining people based on their immigration status without a court-ordered warrant.
A look at key Illinois primary races for US House and Senate
CHICAGO (AP) — Voters across Illinois get the chance Tuesday to decide competitive U.S. House and Senate primaries in nearly every part of the state.
2 dead in Rockford house fire; 3 people escape
ROCKFORD, Ill. (AP) — Two people died Saturday in a house fire in Rockford.
7 seek to fill 1st black Supreme Court justice’s seat
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — Seven Democrats are vying for a seat on the Illinois Supreme Court once held by the high court’s fist black justice.
Illinois governor orders bars and restaurants to close
CHICAGO (AP) — Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Sunday ordered all bars and restaurants in the state to close starting Monday night, March 16 through March 30.
Illinois virus cases climb to 66; more regions affected
CHICAGO (AP) – The number of Illinois coronavirus cases rose to 66 from 48 as residents with the illness emerged in central and southern regions of the state.
States consider new virus restrictions as revelers pack bars
New Jersey’s governor is considering a curfew and Illinois may require bars and restaurants to close after revelers ignored warnings against attending large gatherings to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
Virus cases climb; more regions affected
CHICAGO (AP) – The number of Illinois coronavirus cases rose to 64 from 46 as residents with the illness emerged in central and southern regions of the state.
IL Governor orders schools closed due to coronavirus
CHICAGO (AP) – Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker has ordered the closing of every school in the state until March 30 starting Tuesday amid concerns over the spread of coronavirus.
Pritzker asks sports teams to cancel games or bar fans
CHICAGO (AP) — Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Thursday mandated that events of 1,000 or more people be canceled or postponed for 30 days, and asked the owners of all the state’s major sports teams to cancel
Suspect in daughter’s death pleads guilty in separate case
LAS VEGAS (AP) — A man’s guilty plea in Las Vegas to felony child sex charges will send him to state prison ahead of any prosecution in Illinois in the death of his 6-year-old daughter, whose body
Foxx touts record as Smollett case engulfs Illinois primary
CHICAGO (AP) — Chicago mom Rya Smith has no doubts about backing the top prosecutor in the nation’s second-biggest county for another term, even while acknowledging the office fumbled a criminal case against “Empire” actor Jussie Smollett.
Illinois colleges suspend in-person classes due to COVID-19
CHICAGO (AP) — Officials of Illinois, Southern Illinois, DePaul, Northwestern and Illinois State universities announced Wednesday the suspension of in-person classes due to coronavirus concerns.
Illinois uncovers 1st new virus case outside Chicago area
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — Illinois confirmed its first coronavirus cases outside the Chicago area Tuesday, as the state’s infection tally hit 19, and the governor raised questions about whether large-scale gatherings such as the city’s upcoming St.
Proposed law named for ex-inmate limits isolation in prisons
CHICAGO (AP) — A man’s decades-long stay in isolation in an Illinois prison has prompted proposed legislation that would limit how long a prisoner can stay in solitary confinement.
Pritzker issues disaster declaration to fight COVID-19
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced Monday four new cases of COVID-19 in Illinois, bringing the total to 11, and he issued a disaster proclamation giving the state access to state money and possibly federal
Illinois adds 14 volunteer lawyers to help appeals backlog
CHICAGO (AP) — The Illinois Supreme Court will add 14 volunteer lawyers to help accelerate the appeals process of criminal cases.
Man sentenced to life for killing his adoptive parents
PEORIA, Ill. (AP) — A man who confessed to fatally stabbing his parents and dumping their bodies in a central Illinois river was sentenced Friday to life in prison.
Illinois: 1st COVID-19 community transmission case, 7 total
CHICAGO (AP) — Health officials said Sunday that a hospitalized Chicago man in his 60s is believed to be Illinois’ first community transmission case of COVID-19. The man, in serious condition, had not traveled recently. His case
Nobel-winning physics professor donates papers to Illinois
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) — A Nobel Prize-winning physics professor donated papers from more than 50 years of work to the University of Illinois Archives, the university announced this week.
Girl Scouts’ sale of 4 Illinois camps prompts complaints
GLEN CARBON, Ill. (AP) — The Girl Scouts of Southern Illinois are selling four camps for $3.4 million and closing them by the end of the year, a move that’s prompted complaints and concerns.
Judge rules religious order can expand Illinois operations
MARENGO, Ill. (AP) — A traditional Catholic religious order received the go-ahead to build a boarding school, nursing home, gift shop, brewery and winery in northern Illinois despite objections from some local officials and residents.
Officials set public meeting on delayed interchange project
CHICAGO (AP) — State officials have planned a public meeting later this month to give an update on a much-delayed construction project at a major interstate exchange near downtown Chicago.
Ill. early voting slow, boost from COVID-19 fears possible
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — This week’s abrupt depletion of Democratic presidential hopefuls is giving Illinois voters a less-cluttered path through the March 17 primary ballot. That thinning of the ranks, and an unlikely pairing with worldwide health
Man sentenced to life for killing his adoptive parents
PEORIA, Ill. (AP) – A man who confessed to fatally stabbing his parents and dumping their bodies in a central Illinois river has been sentenced to life in prison.
Priest convicted of child porn dies in Illinois prison
PINCKNEYVILLE, Ill. (AP) – A former southern Illinois priest sentenced to nine years in prison after pleading guilty last year to distributing child pornography and processing methamphetamine has died.
County commissioner steps down months after FBI raid
CHICAGO (AP) – A member of the Cook County Board of Commissioners whose office and home was raided by FBI agents last fall has resigned from the board.
Ex-GOP US Rep Schock says he’s gay, regrets anti-gay stances
CHICAGO (AP) — Saying he would do more if he were in Congress today to support LGBTQ rights — which he opposed when he served — former Illinois U.S. Rep. Aaron Schock came out as gay Thursday
Correctional officers charged with sexual misconduct
MARION, Ill. (AP) — Two southern Illinois correctional officers have been charged with custodial sexual misconduct for an alleged assault on several women in their custody, Williamson County Sheriff Bennie Vick announced Thursday.
Illinois man who went to Italy is state’s 5th COVID-19 case
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — Officials on Thursday confirmed a fifth case of COVID-19 in Illinois, though Gov. J.B. Pritzker tried to reassure the public that the chances of a widespread outbreak of the potentially deadly illness were