A private K-12 school that announced a mask-optional policy for a return to class had been sanctioned by the Illinois State Board of Education. ISBE says schools must require, not recommend, masks in schools. Amid concerns of COVID-19, Timothy Christian Schools in Elmhurst made the mask-optional announcement this week through a video from Superintendent Matthew Davidson. “It’s just worth noting that the issue of masks in schools is still categorically a recommendation, not a requirement from the...
Aug 13, 2021•50 min•Ep. 151
Weeks after some school districts decided to make masks optional to start the year, the CDC changed its guidance on mask use. Now Illinois’ governor is mandating masks for schools and daycares, and threatening action for those that don’t comply. Some state lawmakers say a year and a half in, they should be involved, but aren’t. Last month, Gov. J.B. Pritzker said masking requirements were up to schools. The Illinois State Board of Education said schools must be back to in-person learning after t...
Aug 06, 2021•49 min•Ep. 150
Gov. J.B. Pritzker is evaluating whether to require state employees under his control to be vaccinated against COVID-19, but mandatory vaccinations are not politically popular. Since the state has been tracking the Delta variant in February, 716 cases have been reported . Pritzker said Wednesday he’s considering more COVID-19 mitigations. Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/illinois-in-focus/support...
Jul 30, 2021•36 min•Ep. 149
Gov J.B. Pritzker announced Monday that he will be running for re-election in 2022. Pritzker, 56, has been in office since January 2019. Pritzker defeated former Gov. Bruce Rauner, a wealthy Republican, to become Illinois' 43rd governor. So far, three Republicans have announced they are running for their party’s nomination to challenge Pritzker. Downstate state Sen. Darren Bailey, suburban Chicago businessman Gary Rabine, and former state Sen. Paul Schimpf have all announced plans to run for gov...
Jul 23, 2021•44 min•Ep. 148
Illinois in Focus Ep 147: School determining mask rules as parents prepare for checks Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/illinois-in-focus/support
Jul 16, 2021•42 min•Ep. 146
President Joe Biden called for investment in both people and infrastructure during a speech Wednesday at McHenry County College, his first visit to the state since taking office. He also called for higher taxes on the wealthy and corporations to fund two years of community college for all students. He said additional education was needed for the U.S. to compete with the rest of the world. Unveiled before an April 28 joint session of Congress, the $1.8 trillion American Families Plan sets forth $...
Jul 09, 2021•47 min•Ep. 146
Those needing to speak in person with someone at the state’s unemployment offices haven’t been able to for well over a year and it’s still not clear when the offices will be open. Offices around the state for the Illinois Department of Employment Security have been closed since the spring of 2020. For months while unemployment claims spiked because of the governor’s COVID-19 restrictions closing businesses, backlogs grew and phone lines were flooded . IDES officials have said there are health an...
Jul 02, 2021•49 min•Ep. 145
Illinois has some of the highest fuel gas prices in the country, and next week, taxes on fuel will increase. On July 1st, the tax will increase about a half-cent per gallon, depending on the blend. Gasoline prices are the highest they’ve been since July 2019, when the state gas tax doubled to 38 cents. At that time, lawmakers put in place an automatic gas tax hike tied to inflation. Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/illinois-in-focus/support...
Jun 25, 2021•59 min•Ep. 144
Illinois in Focus Ep 143: Some question if it's a 'new day' following overtime session Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/illinois-in-focus/support
Jun 18, 2021•53 min•Ep. 142
As the state prepares to fully reopen for the first time in 15 months on Friday, the governor is giving Illinoisans a pat on the back. Starting Friday, there will be no capacity restrictions, but businesses can still require masks for unvaccinated people. There are also mask requirements for public transportation, medical facilities, correctional facilities, schools and day care centers. On Friday, the state will eliminate all capacity limits on businesses, large-scale events, conventions, amuse...
Jun 11, 2021•59 min•Ep. 142
Illinois in Focus Ep 141: Partisan politics on display as legislative session ends Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/illinois-in-focus/support
Jun 04, 2021•42 min•Ep. 140
Tim Mapes served for years under former House Speaker Michael Madigan as the clerk of the Illinois House and as Madigan’s chief of staff. Now, Mapes has been indicted on a charge of lying to a grand jury in a federal bribery probe connected to the longtime former speaker. Last summer, federal prosecutors revealed a deferred prosecution agreement ComEd entered into where the utility admitted to paying associates of Madigan in money and jobs in order to curry favor from the then-speaker. Com-Ed ag...
May 28, 2021•52 min•Ep. 140
Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s emergency rule requiring businesses to mandate masks has been repealed and a leading retailers association says they are not being asked to check your vaccine status, but they could if they wanted. The latest order issued Monday says the governor’s “bridge” reopening plan does require retailers to “cap occupancy at 60 percent of store capacity, or, alternatively, at the occupancy limits based on store square footage,” though vaccinated individuals don’t count to that. Retail...
May 21, 2021•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 139
Illinois is entering another COVID-19 reopening phase that was added by Gov. J.B. Pritzker in March. Capacity limits on a wide range of businesses and activities will be slightly loosened Friday as the state enters the next to last phase of the governor’s pandemic reopening plan. Pritzker announced last week that the state would enter the Bridge Phase of his plan, a final step before all restrictions are lifted, as the spread of COVID-19 has slowed and a large percentage of Illinoisans had recei...
May 14, 2021•51 min•Ep. 138
Pandemic restrictions in Illinois will be further loosened next week, and the state could reopen nearly fully as early as June 11. Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced Thursday the state will be entering the “Bridge Phase” on May 14, a transitional period between Phase 4 restrictions and fully opening in Phase 5. The bridge to Phase 5 expands capacity to 60% for theaters, gyms, spectator events, offices, museums, and amusement parks. Mask requirements would stay in place until the U.S. Centers for Disea...
May 07, 2021•48 min•Ep. 137
Illinois will lose one member from the U.S. House of Representatives because of continued population declines. It was expected Illinois would lose representation, based on year-over-year annual Census estimates showing the state losing an estimated 253,000 residents over the past ten years. Illinois was one of seven states that will lose one seat for the Congress that will be seated in 2023. Illinois has lost ten seats in the U.S. House over the past 110 years, according to Census data . In 1910...
Apr 30, 2021•43 min•Ep. 136
Illinois lawmakers are poised to make leadership term limits of no more than ten consecutive years state law. Before he resigned from the House earlier this year, Michael Madigan, D-Chicago, served in the state legislature for more than 50 years. Madigan served as House Speaker for 24 consecutive years from 1997 to 2021. For two years when Republicans had the majority in the House, Madigan was the Minority Leader. Before that, he served as Speaker for 12 years from 1983 to 1995. House Bill 642 p...
Apr 23, 2021•1 hr•Ep. 135
With research showing state spending grew 30% faster than Illinois’ median household income over the past decade, a new bill would tie spending in Springfield to growth in household income. Senate Bill 589, introduced by state Sen. Suzy Glowiak-Hilton, D-Western Springs, was presented during a subject matter hearing Wednesday of the Senate Appropriations Revenue and Finance Committee. The bill would create a spending cap that ties general revenue appropriations to growth in the median household ...
Apr 16, 2021•57 min•Ep. 134
Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Wednesday clarified statements from his chief of staff, a day after she said the state was headed for a full reopening this summer. On Tuesday, Anne Caprara told a Senate committee she and the governor hoped to have restrictions lifted soon. “I think we both hope that we are going to be in a place to move to Phase 5 in the beginning of the summer,” Caprara said. “I always hesitate to say definitively where we are going to be because we have now ridden through several rises ...
Apr 09, 2021•50 min•Ep. 133
Gov. J.B. Pritzker said Wednesday that vaccination passports could be useful in the coming weeks as more Illinoisans get vaccinated for COVID-19. As for a vaccination passport to prove a person has been inoculated against the coronavirus, Pritzker says a vaccination app would be useful, but should not be required to enter an event or facility. “As long as it is your choice,” Pritzker said. “If people ask you to show that for a particular venue or private venue, they have the ability and right to...
Apr 02, 2021•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 132
Illinois is nearing another phase in the state’s reopening plan, but things won't open up all at once. Gov. J.B. Pritzker last week unveiled what he called his “Bridge Phase,” announcing new guidelines that will allow for higher capacity limits at public places such as spectator events. The guidelines also involved fewer restrictions on businesses during the transition between the current Phase 4 and a full reopening in Phase 5. To reach the Bridge phase, 70% of people 65 and older must have rec...
Mar 26, 2021•43 min•Ep. 131
State officials have recorded 21,000 confirmed COVID-19 deaths in Illinois since the outset of the pandemic. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention listed 19,893 deaths through the end of February in Illinois where COVID-19 was listed among multiple causes. Of those deaths, about 1,830, or 9.2%, had COVID-19 listed as the sole cause of death. That percentage is higher than it was in September 2020 when the rate was about 6%. Monroe County Coroner Bob Hill is calling for a full audit afte...
Mar 19, 2021•49 min•Ep. 130
Despite being the highest taxed state in the nation, financially strapped Illinois is set to get more than $10 billion in federal tax dollars from the $1.9 trillion spending bill that passed the U.S. House Wednesday. Illinois’ Democratic leaders cheered the passage of the bill while Republicans were critical. Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/illinois-in-focus/support
Mar 12, 2021•52 min•Ep. 129
There’s a growing chorus in Illinois urging Gov. J.B. Pritzker to provide the hospitality sector some clarity and certainty about when things will open more. Pritzker didn’t give specifics about when he would relax COVID-19 mitigation when asked on Wednesday. Texas is set to open up 100% March 10. The Illinois hospitality sector has seen a massive decline in revenue over the past year and the industry warns of long-term consequences for the state if clarity isn’t provided soon. Support this podc...
Mar 05, 2021•56 min•Ep. 128
Just days after his handpicked replacement to the Illinois House, state Rep. Edward Guerra Kodatt, stepped down, former state Rep. Michael Madigan is now backing Angelica Guerrero Cuellar. In a joint statement with Chicago Alderman Marty Quinn late Tuesday from a Madigan spokesperson, Madigan suggested Kodatt resign “after learning of alleged questionable conduct.” Madigan did not elaborate on the nature of the conduct. Madigan selected Kodatt on Sunday. Madigan has a weighted vote in the distri...
Feb 26, 2021•48 min•Ep. 127
Former House Speaker Michael Madigan, the longest serving statehouse speaker in the country, and the longest serving state legislator in Illinois, resigned Thursday. In a statement Thursday, Madigan thanked his family and touted his accomplishments over five decades in office. He leaves under a cloud of a federal corruption probe involving bribes utility ComEd admitted it paid to associates in an effort to influence Madigan. Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/illinois-...
Feb 19, 2021•43 min•Ep. 126
Episode 125: Biden asks Madigan investigator to resign Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/illinois-in-focus/support
Feb 12, 2021•58 min•Ep. 125
Episode 124: Lawmakers cut the line for COVID vaccines Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/illinois-in-focus/support
Feb 05, 2021•58 min•Ep. 124
Episode 123: High school sports return as new legislature remains absent in Springfield Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/illinois-in-focus/support
Jan 29, 2021•46 min•Ep. 123
Episode 123: Biden inaugurated while Illinois struggles to open schools Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/illinois-in-focus/support
Jan 22, 2021•39 min•Ep. 122
