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Governor J-B Pritzker says all of Illinois should be moving to phase three of his reopening plan on Friday

(Springfield-jm) -- Illinois Department of Public Health Director Dr Ngozi Ezike says there is some hope among the latest Coronavirus numbers. Ezike is reporting more than 11 hundred new cases and 39 additional deaths, although that may not include all patients from the holiday weekend. She also notes that the week ending May 16th is the first week that had less deaths than the previous week…

 

Illinois Department of Public Health Director Dr Ngozi Ezike. Nearly 787 thousand people in Illinois have been tested so far for COVID-19. Of those testing positive, about 92 percent have recovered.

 

 

(Undated-jm) -- Local cases of Coronavirus rose Tuesday. Champaign County is reporting 7 new cases bringing their total number to 568. Iroquois County is reporting 1 new case bringing their total number to 131. McLean County has 2 new cases bringing their total to 212. Kankakee County has 55 new cases bringing their total number to 1,096. Ford, Vermilion and Livingston Counties all reported no new cases Tuesday.

 

 

(Undated-jm) -- The Illinois Department of Public Health along with area health departments are reporting some cases in local communities. In Ford County, 7 are in Paxton and 6 are in Cabery. In Champaign County 6 are in Ludlow, 144 are in Rantoul, 2 are in Thomasboro, 4 in St. Joseph, 12 in Mahomet and 1 each in Gifford, Penfield and Fisher. In Iroquois County, 47 are in Clifton, 12 in Watseka, 11 each in Chebanse and Onarga, 9 in Ashkum, 7 in Crescent City and 6 each in Gilman, Danforth and Beaverville.

 

(Springfield-jm) -- Governor J-B Pritzker says all of Illinois should be moving to phase three of his reopening plan on Friday. The numbers needed to move to the next stage are holding or declining, which is great news says the Governor. That includes the positivity rate of COVID-19 tests and the number of hospital beds. Pritzker urges people to continue taking precautions…

 

 

Illinois Governor J-B Pritzker. In phase three, salons, gyms, retail stores, offices and bars and restaurants with outdoor seating may open back up with stringent health protocols in place.

 

 

(Springfield-jm) -- Lawmakers passed the budget this weekend and it is now on its way to Governor J-B Pritzker's desk, but is there a pay raise in it? Democrats are saying no and Republicans are saying yes. So, what is the truth? Both are correct because the raise is not from money allocated in this year's budget. In the Budget Implementation Bill there is statutory language that says legislators will get a cost of living adjustment every year unless they vote to take that out and they have not voted to take it out. That cost of living adjustment gives lawmakers a raise of 3%.

 

 

(Washington-jm) -- A new act was introduced on Tuesday would help bring Meals on Wheels to kids, who live in rural and difficult-to-reach areas, over the summer.  The Meals on Wheels for Kids Act was introduced by Representative Rodney Davis of Taylorville. If approved, the act would establish a pilot program that would bring meals during the summertime to kids who rely on school-provided meals during the school year but live in hard to reach places.


 

(Springfield-jm) -- State Representative Allen Skillicorn of Crystal Lake, says he has formally started the process to recall Governor J-B Pritzker. Rep. Skillicorn says he's moving forward with the process due to ongoing issues with the state's unemployment claims website.  Skillicorn says the U-S Department of Labor offered to help the state, however, the Governor selected a no bid contract to a private company. Earlier this month, it was reported there was a massive data breach in which personal information of those filing claims was released.

 

 

(Roberts-jm) -- The Ford County community of Roberts has created a golf cart ordinance. The community had followed state guidance but the state turned over the governing of golf carts in communities to the local level. Roberts Mayor Matt Vaughan talks about the ordinance and what Roberts residents need to do…

 

 

Roberts Mayor Matt Vaughan. 

 

 

(Watseka-jm) -- After being closed for close to 2 months, the Iroquois County administrative center will reopen this week to the public. The county says offices such as clerk, treasurer, assessments and zoning will reopen Thursday. Those wishing to come in must wear a mask and maintain social distancing.

 

(Paxton-jm) -- The City of Paxton is moving forward with more road repairs this summer. Mayor Bill Ingold talks about the streets that will see improvements…

 

 

Paxton Mayor Bill Ingold.

 

 

(Paxton-jm) -- The Paxton Buckley Loda School Board has approved the sale of some property. The minimum bid is set at $60,000 for the former site of Eastlawn Elementary while the minimum bid was set at $50,000 for the former playground site.

 

 

(Undated-jm) -- National retail chain Victoria Secret announced they are closing 250 stores and 50 of their sister stores Bath and Body Works in the U-S. The company says sales at their Victoria Secret stores are down 46 percent this year however, during the pandemic online sales were up 30 percent. Bath and Body reported an 18 percent decline in in store sales however, online sales soared by 85 percent. There’s no word on if their stores in Champaign, Bloomington or Bourbonnais will be affected.

 

 

(Washington-jm) -- The nation’s winter wheat crop is heading ahead of last year, but the pace is behind the five year average. Stephanie Ho reports…

 

 

 

(Undated-jm) -- Active and recovered cases rose Tuesday in the area. Ford County is reporting 16 have recovered and 4 are in isolation. Champaign County is reporting 415 have recovered, 146 are active with 6 hospitalized. Vermilion County is reporting 25 have recovered and 13 are in isolation. Iroquois County is reporting 83 have recovered, 41 are in isolation and 3 are hospitalized. McLean County is reporting  143 have recovered with 54 in isolation and 4 hospitalized. Livingston County is reporting 27 have recovered and 3 are active. Kankakee County is reporting 368 have recovered, 675 are active with 12 hospitalized.

 

 

(Undated-jm) -- Sadly local deaths rose Tuesday. McLean County reported 1 new death bringing their total to 11. Kankakee County reported 6 new deaths bringing their total number to 53. Champaign County remains at 7 deaths, Iroquois County remains at 4 deaths, Livingston County remains at 2 deaths and Ford and Vermilion Counties remain at 1 death each.


 

 

(Springfield-jm) -- Secretary of State Jesse White says offices will be reopening June 1st and 2nd. Driver services facilities will open next week but will focus on those with the most urgent needs for the first two months says Secretary of State Spokesperson Dave Druker…

 

 

Illinois Secretary of State Spokesperson Dave Druker. Many locations will have expanded hours. To get all the details on when your local facility will be open, visit: cyber drive illinois dot com. You can also use the website to renew your vehicle registration.

 

 

(Undated-jm) -- A woman originally from Illinois is vying for the title of Commander in Chief. Dr. Jo Jorgensen was selected as the Libertarian Party's candidate for the 2020 Presidential Election. Jorgensen now lives in South Carolina but is a native of Libertyville, Illinois.

 

 

(Springfield-jm) -- A staggering 27% of Illinoisans did not or could not pay their rent during the month of April, according to Illinois House lawmakers last week. Governor J-B Pritzker said in a press conference on Tuesday that the eviction freeze will extend past this Friday and into Phase 3 of the Restore Illinois plan. Under Illinois state law, rent must still be paid by tenants and all missed payments will still be owed to the landlord.

 

 

(Springfield-jm) -- A report recently published by the Associated Press said the state of Illinois leads the nation in transparency when it comes to COVID-19 spending. Illinois State Comptroller Susana Mendoza launched a online portal so the public could view how the government was spending money on COVID-19 related items. 

 

 

(Gilman-jm) -- The Gilman city council approved the purchase of a new gate at the city’s water plant, which also serves as the city’s dump site. Mayor Rick Theesfield talks about the new gate and what residents need to do to access the site…

 

 

Gilman Mayor Rick Theesfield. 

 

 

(Mahomet-jm) -- Boat rentals won’t be happening this summer at Lake of the Woods in Mahomet. Due to financial restraints with the Coronavirus, the Champaign County Forest Preserve is not hiring seasonal help.

 

 

(Paxton-jm) -- The Ford County Public Health Department is collecting masks to give out to the community. Now with masks required to be worn by anyone over the age of 2 and are medically able to, there is a demand for them. Ford County Public Health Department Community Health Educator Danielle Walls says anyone looking for something to do can make and donate cloth masks…

 

Ford County Public Health Community Health Educator Danielle Walls. Walls says the health department is also accepting disposable masks. If a person or individual has N95 masks, the health department will also accept them and give them to First Responders and Long Term Care Facilities in the county. To donate, call the health department at 217-379-9281.

 

 

(Pontiac-jm) -- The Livingston County Public Health Department is sending out guidance for local businesses as they plan and prepare to reopen when permitted.Some of the guidelines include keeping sick people home, clean and disinfect regularly touched surfaces and common areas more frequently and social distancing for customers and employees. Businesses with questions can call Donnie Simmons at the Livingston County Public Health Department at 815-844-7174 extension 252.

 

 

(Washington-jm) -- USDA analysts say the decline in ethanol demand may have bottomed out and may be starting a recovery, albeit a slow one. Gary Crawford reports…

 

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