With increasing hospitalizations and mounting COVID-19 case numbers prompted by the Delta variant, municipalities across the country have re-imposed mask mandates and other public health mitigations.

Local leaders in at least five states, including California and Nevada, have reinstated mask requirements, issued facial covering recommendations or threatened the return of strict public health limits for all residents. On a national level, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention continues to recommend that vaccinated people don’t have to follow such protocols in most settings.

A new report confirms Illinois is among the worst in the country when it comes to funding its public pensions.

The report was distributed by the Tax Foundation, an independent tax policy nonprofit. It indicates the state is only 39% funded for future pension obligations, the second-worst ratio in the country.

More than 1,250 small cities, towns, and villages in Illinois that haven’t already received federal aid from the American Rescue Plan can now apply for more than $742 million in COVID-19 relief funds.

“From the beginning of the pandemic, Illinois has taken action to quickly and equitably address the needs facing our local communities,” Gov. JB Pritzker said. “I encourage every eligible community to apply for this available funding as we continue to build a strong recovery for all of our families.”

More scenes like the one above will be coming to a state near you.

Iowa tops the list of structurally deficient bridges in the United States and Illinois places third, according to data from the Federal Highway Administration.

A new analysis by the American Legislative Exchange Council shows Illinois is one of the worst states in the country with bond debt.

In its annual State Bonded Obligations, 2020, the ALEC Center for State Fiscal Reform analyzes each state’s level of debt and features policy solutions to address the root of state debt problems: government spending.