Get the latest news from around Illinois.
State Journal-Register: Another 673 new COVID-19 cases reported in Illinois; 26 dead
Confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Illinois shot up by 673 since Wednesday, setting another record for the number of new cases in a day.
State health officials said seven more people have died from the disease bringing the death toll to 26.
The Center Square: Group of Illinois House Republicans push for reforms to 'kick start' state's economy amid COVID-19 crisis
A group of Republican state lawmakers wants Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker to change taxes and provide other concessions for small businesses affected by the COVID-19 shutdown to “kick start” the state’s economic comeback.
Large sectors of Illinois’ economy the governor deemed nonessential have been shuttered through April 7 as part of efforts the governor and his public health department said were needed to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus that emerged in late 2019.
WBEZ: 114,114 Illinois residents filed unemployment claims last week
Until just weeks ago, the unemployment rate was at record lows in many parts of Illinois.
But the past week has been the worst ever, state officials said Thursday, as they released new data showing that 114,114 people filed unemployment claims in Illinois in the week that ended Saturday.
Chicago Sun-Times: Cook County delays collecting booze, tobacco, other taxes to give struggling businesses ‘some breathing room’
Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle announced Thursday that the county will waive a number of fines and fees and defer the collection of some taxes to aid businesses grappling with coronavirus containment efforts.
“This is no ordinary time,” Preckwinkle said at a Thursday news conference. “The [coronavirus] pandemic is not only a public health crisis, but also an economic, financial crisis. … We hope this can provide some breathing room for businesses that are struggling. We recognize that you are worried about rents, about payroll about mounting bills — you should not be worried that the tax collector is coming after you as well.”
Chicago Tribune: CPS approves emergency coronavirus fund, asks for outside help to provide computers to children who lack them: ‘The resources are finite’
The Chicago Board of Education has unanimously passed a $75 million budget for its coronavirus response, granting top district officials the authority to spend at will and report back later.
Even as board President Miguel del Valle noted that doesn’t mean Chicago Public Schools will spend the full amount, which is a “not-to-exceed” measure valid through the end of June, district leaders warned that the pandemic could affect schools for longer than that.
The Center Square: Pritzker vows to fix state's unemployment website
Unemployment claims in Illinois for the week ending March 21 increased ten-fold from the previous week as employers and employees continue to feel the fallout from the coronavirus pandemic.
Initial unemployment claims in Illinois for the week ending March 21 were 133,763, up 122,893 from the 10,870 claims filed the previous week, according to data released Thursday by the U.S. Department of Labor and later updated by the Illinois Department of Employment Security.
Chicago Sun-Times: City looking at using McCormick Place East for hospital overflow
Bracing for a flood of up to 40,000 hospitalizations, Chicago may set up thousands of beds at the McCormick Place East building to help area hospitals deal with the coronavirus outbreak, Mayor Lori Lightfoot said Thursday.
In the coming weeks, the pandemic could lead to “40,000 people who require acute care in a hospital setting. That number will break our hospital system,” the mayor told reporters at a news conference called to announce her unprecedented decision to shut down some of Chicago’s most popular gathering spots, including the lakefront.
Chicago Tribune: Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot closes city’s Lakefront Trail, adjoining parks, beaches, The 606 trail and the Riverwalk; bans contact sports being played in the city
Mayor Lori Lightfoot has ordered Chicago’s entire Lakefront Trail, adjacent parks, The 606 trail and Riverwalk closed, the latest sweeping measure taken by the city to curb the rapidly spreading coronavirus.
The closures were effective immediately and applied to trails, bike paths, green spaces, facilities and parks adjacent to the lakefront, Lightfoot said. Chicago police would aggressively be ramping up patrols in these areas and violators would be subject to a warning, ticket and possible arrest if they don’t listen, the mayor said.
The Center Square: Fitch says Illinois was vulnerable before COVID crisis, federal bailout won’t negate lost economic activity
Analysts with Fitch Ratings said the federal stimulus plan will help state and local governments, but it won’t replace lost revenue from the economic downturn.
On March 16, Gov. J.B. Pritzker ordered all restaurants to close to dine-in service in an effort to slow the spread of COVID-19, a move that was expected to impact local and state tax revenues. Casinos shut down, video gaming machines across the state went dark and just days after getting sports betting got started in Illinois, sports leagues suspended their seasons. All of those things mean lost tax revenue for the state.