Experts confirm working mothers are bearing the brunt of the pandemic. They overrepresent frontline workers and are taking on more responsibilities at home. “This could be a ticking time bomb for women in the workforce,” Elizabeth Powers, associate professor of economics with the Institute of Government and Public Affairs at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, […]
Madison Angell
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The toll on youth
Illinois ranks second in the nation for the cumulative number of children and youth diagnosed with COVID-19. Illinois youth, 19 years old and under, make up 15% of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Illinois as of Feb. 11. That’s according to figures from the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Children’s Hospital Association. Only 2.3% of […]
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Library reaches out
“I will not talk. I want my lawyer. Am I free to go?” These are “magic words,” according to Belleville attorney Alex Enyart. On Feb. 23, Lincoln Library, Illinois Access to Justice and Illinois Legal Aid Online teamed up to talk virtually about individual rights when coming into contact with law enforcement. About a year […]
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Still trying to get Illinois to admit he’s innocent
Charles Palmer was exonerated and released in 2016 after serving 18 years of a life sentence. Now he is seeking a certificate of innocence (COI) from the state’s highest court. An exoneree must have a COI in order to get compensation from the state. Palmer was exonerated after being convicted of first-degree murder in Decatur. […]
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Redistricting during a pandemic
Legislative redistricting “is the single most important bill of the decade,” according to Chris Mooney, University of Illinois at Chicago professor and former director of the U of I’s Institute for Government and Public Affairs. The party in control of passing a redistricting bill shapes state and federal legislative races and representation for the next […]
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New senator aims to transform education
State Sen. Cristina Pacione-Zayas is on a mission to change the status quo of education in Illinois. “My objective was to be a disrupter,” Pacione-Zayas said of her time working for the Illinois State Board of Education. “I knew that people may not agree with me, but if I anchored my disruption in research and […]
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New juvenile center to keep youth closer to home
Renovations are underway at the Lincoln Development Center in Lincoln. State officials say after being closed for nearly a decade, the future Illinois Youth Center will keep youth closer to family and spur economic activity. The new center will take approximately two years to complete, according to the Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice and partners. […]
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Vaccine hesitations and delays
CVS and Walgreens are situated to provide up to 7 million vaccines to long-term care facilities combined, according to AARP. But the federal program pairing pharmacies with long-term care providers has failed to meet initial benchmarks. Meanwhile, large percentages of staff at many nursing homes are refusing the vaccine. “With staff, we have seen a […]
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Vaccination challenges
In December the first high-risk priority groups, health care personnel, all hospital staff and anyone working or residing in long-term care facilities were encouraged to participate in vaccine clinics. They are designated group 1a. Sangamon County announced people aged 65 and older and frontline essential workers like firefighters, grocery workers and educators could begin scheduling […]
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Bill passes to combat opioid epidemic
While the state legislature’s lame-duck session earlier this month was largely defined by criminal justice reform, a measure aimed at the opioid epidemic passed through both chambers more quietly. State Sen. Melinda Bush, D-Grayslake, was a sponsor of the measure, meant to add teeth to the Illinois Prescription Monitoring Program, a network that collects and […]
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Healing from racism
In the wake of the police killing of George Floyd and subsequent uprising, many have grappled with the question of how to address systemic racism in substantive ways. Last fall, the state launched the Healing Illinois initiative. The goal is “to prompt ideas and activities that help build a bridge toward a racially equitable Illinois,” […]
