Some Southern Illinois restaurant owners said they’re happy to be able to again welcome customers into their dining rooms, but many are scrambling to get ready.
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Southern Illinoisan: With COVID-19 mitigations relaxed in Southern Illinois, restaurants welcome guests inside
Southern Illinois on Monday moved out of tiered virus resurgence mitigation levels, and businesses are now allowed to operate under Phase 4 of the state’s Restore Illinois plan. Indoor dining and bar service is allowed again at limited capacity under Phase 4 guidelines, and barbershops, salons, spas, health and fitness clubs and theaters can open with capacity limits and IDPH-approved safety guidance.
News-Gazette: Jim Dey: Jordan's rules had nothing on 'Madigan Rules'
Although former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan didn’t invent autocratic rule, he did turn it into an art form.
Now new Speaker Chris Welch is promising he’s going to ease up on the autocracy and permit more democracy.
State Journal-Register: City of Springfield to provide clarification on ‘more restrictive’ local COVID-19 guidelines
Even though improving COVID-19 statistics in the region loosened restrictions in Sangamon County earlier this week, Springfield has its own set of guidelines that it is keeping in place.
During Tuesday night’s city council meeting, Springfield Mayor Jim Langfelder acknowledged that the city’s guidelines will be “more restrictive” than the guidelines state officials announced Monday, as Sangamon County was cleared to move from Tier 3 to Phase 4 restrictions.
The Center Square: Criminal justice advocates say Pritzker right to vaccinate prisoners for COVID-19
Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s decision to prioritize COVID-19 vaccinations to the state’s prison population was met with headlines that appeared he was putting healthy, young inmates in front of Illinois’ elderly population.
Criminal justice advocates say there’s more to it.
Chicago Tribune: Unemployment insurance fraud is growing in Illinois. Here’s what you need to know.
State and federal officials are encouraging Illinoisans to stay vigilant as reports of unemployment insurance fraud swell.
From the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, fraudulent claims have been an issue as a record number of Illinois residents file for benefits and Congress provides additional jobless aid. Illinois has stopped more than 350,000 fraudulent claims since March 1, according to the state’s Department of Employment Security.
Chicago Sun-Times: CPD officer tied to Special Operations Section scandal faces firing 16 years later
Sixteen years after he allegedly took part in one of the Chicago Police Department’s biggest scandals, the department has moved to fire officer Thomas Sherry, formerly of the disgraced and disbanded Special Operations Section.
In November 2020, Supt. David Brown filed administrative charges against Sherry, who was assigned to the SOS from 2002 until 2006. The charges against Sherry focus on two illegal raids conducted by the SOS on July 27, 2004, on the Northwest Side.
WBEZ: 6 Key Reforms In The Massive Criminal Justice Bill Illinois Lawmakers Passed Last Week
In the waning hours of the lame-duck session of the Illinois General Assembly, lawmakers passed a sweeping omnibus bill meant to reshape the state’s criminal justice system.
The legislation, which is now awaiting Gov. JB Pritzker’s signature, is more than 760 pages and was still being reworked just hours before the final vote.
News-Gazette: Champaign council keeps size limits for political signs
The city council ended up not removing the size limit for political signs in residential areas, as had been proposed earlier in the year.
Instead, political signs will be reclassified into a broader “temporary sign” category that still limits signs to 6 square feet in area in residential areas, the same size limit that real-estate signs face.