(Springfield-jm) – Illinois lawmakers will return to the state capitol in Springfield today for one day this week. The Legislature was scheduled to be in session on Tuesday and Thursday this week, but those days have been canceled out of concern of COVID-19. It’s unclear if lawmakers will return next week. They’re scheduled in session through April 8.

 

(Springfield-jm) – FOID and concealed carry license holders can now receive notices electronically. Instead of getting paper notices in the mail, you can sign up for email or text notifications. Illinois State Police Director Brendan Kelly says it’s part of ongoing efforts to modernize the process…

 

 

State Police Director Brendan Kelly. If you already have an account, you can sign up for email or text notices by visiting the website: i-s-p-f-s-b dot com and click on my profile. If you don’t have an account, you can create one on the website as well.

 

(Undated-jm) – The Illinois Department of Public Health reported 24,4223 new Coronavirus cases and 79 additional deaths. The seven day positivity rate is up to 17.6 percent. Champaign County reported 593 new cases bringing their total to 40,097. 34,734 have recovered, over 5100 are in isolation and 44 are hospitalized. Ford, Iroquois and Vermilion Counties did not have a report.

 

(Springfield-jm) – Governor J-B Pritzker says he’s asking the Illinois Attorney General to investigate shady COVID-19 testing sites. The Governor says pop-up and fly-by-night testing operations are an enormous problem, with some people not even getting their results back…

 

 

Illinois Governor J-B Pritzker. For a list of testing sites near you, visit the website: coronavirus dot illinois dot gov.

 

 

(Champaign-jm) – Champaign County Clerk Aaron Ammons was sworn in as the county recorder of deeds, officially merging the two positions for the first time. The voters decided to eliminate the recorder position in 2021, saving the county some money by cutting a salaried official. This is something former recorder Mike Ingram was in favor of.

 

(Springfield-jm) – The Illinois Department of Public Health on Tuesday announced that it's adopting the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendation to shorten the interval from 6 months to 5 months for when people who have received the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine can get a booster dose. Only people who received two doses of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine during their primary series can now receive an mRNA booster dose 5 months after their second shot. The booster interval remains the same for those who received the Moderna vaccine, 6 months or the Johnson & Johnson vaccine for their primary series. Additionally, the CDC is recommending that moderately or severely immunocompromised children ages 5-11 receive a third dose of vaccine 28 days after their second dose. At this time, only Pfizer-BioNTech is authorized for children.

 

(Springfield-jm) – Illinois House Republicans are raising concerns about the new vaccine mandate in Chicago and Cook County. Proof of vaccination is now required to enter certain establishments like bars, restaurants and gyms in the city and surrounding county. But Representative Tom Morrison of Palatine says business owners aren’t happy…

 

 

State Representative Tom Morrison of Palatine. House GOP members say this will also stifle tourism, as out of towners not knowing about the mandate visit and find themselves unable to go into many places.

 

(Springfield-jm) – Women can now get birth control without a prescription in Illinois. Under a new state law, specially trained pharmacists can dispense a year’s worth of hormonal contraceptives like the pill, ring or patch. It was sponsored by Representative Michelle Mussman of Schaumburg who spoke at the bill signing in July…

 

 

State Representative Michelle Mussman of Schaumburg. Mussman says this increases access to important medication for women.

 

(Champaign-jm) – State Senator Scott Bennett will be hosting community blood drives in Urbana and Danville this week to address a widespread blood shortage. The blood drives will take place until Saturday at the Urbana Donor Center, located at 1408 West University Avenue, and the Danville Elks Donor Center, located at 300 East Liberty Lane. Hours vary by day and location.