Illinois is not mandating K-12 students receive the COVID-19 vaccine before the fall, the Illinois Department of Public Health said.

While three different vaccines have been authorized for emergency use in the U.S., only one, Pfizer-BioNTech, has been authorized for anyone under the age of 18. Children ages 12 and up are eligible for the Pfizer vaccine, and clinical studies for younger children are underway for the Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson shots.

School buildings haven’t been used as polling locations in Tazewell County for the last six years.

That will change with elections in 2022 and 2023. Voters in 16 precincts will cast ballots in seven schools.

A report shows Illinois’ budget will be receiving a larger boost than most states from American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds.

State governments are beginning to receive the first allocations from $193.5 billion in ARPA funds, which they can use for a wide range of uses as they deal with the fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic.