Get the latest news from around Illinois.
Chicago Tribune: Coronavirus in Illinois updates: State’s 1st death from COVID-19 reported in Chicago
Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced the first death from the new coronavirus in Illinois on Tuesday afternoon.
This came a day after Pritzker announced he was limiting crowd sizes to under 50, while voters across Chicago and Illinois headed to the polls the next morning to cast their ballots in the state’s primary election amid concerns about how the coronavirus pandemic could affect voter turnout.
The Center Square: Pritzker reportedly asked by elections officials to suspend in-person voting and refused
Chicago election officials said they asked Gov. J.B. Pritzker to postpone Illinois’ primary election, but were rebuffed and reportedly threatened with a charge of voter suppression.
Chicago voters had been met with dozens of precinct closures at the beginning of Tuesday’s primary election. A spokesman for the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners told the Chicago Tribune that election officials saw more than 850 previously committed election workers call off amid concerns about the new coronavirus. The Cook County Clerk’s office was forced to move more than 80 polling locations and there were reports of some precincts not receiving voting well into voting hours.
Chicago Sun-Times: Lightfoot to suspend ‘non-essential’ city services; cancels City Council meeting, limits City Hall access
Mayor Lori Lightfoot will suspend some “non-essential” government services and also has canceled Wednesday’s City Council meeting as Chicago continues to grapple with the spread of the coronavirus.
The cancellation of the council meeting was an abrupt about-face for Lightfoot, who had just Monday said it would go on. In announcing her decision, she cited fears it could attract a large crowd that could trigger community spread of the coronavirus.
Crain's Chicago Business: Illinois temporarily allows curbside weed sales for medical patients
Chicago Tribune: Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot cancels City Council meeting amid coronavirus outbreak, allows non-essential employees to work from home
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot has canceled Wednesday’s City Council meeting amid ever-tightening restrictions on public gatherings across the state to counteract the rapidly spreading coronavirus.
Lightfoot also announced Chicago’s non-essential city workers will be allowed to work from home as part of her administration’s efforts to curb the spread of coronavirus.
The Center Square: Report: Despite diverse economy, Illinois more vulnerable to coronavirus downturn
As many states facing imminent cash flow issues dip into reserves amid the coronavirus outbreak, Illinois’ rainy day fund is nearly empty.
The state’s emergency measures have temporarily shut down thousands of businesses, suspending revenue streams such as video gambling, casinos, and other programs while simultaneously increasing emergency public health spending to fight the spread of COVID-19, the novel coronavirus that emerged in late 2019 and is at the center of a global pandemic.