Browsing: Local
Mark Loafman: It’s a moving target. What’s making everybody in the public health world a little bit cautious is that there are a small percentage of people that are vaccinated who will contract the infection. What we’re telling people in low-risk settings, like being outdoors, physically distanced with people that are vaccinated indoors, an outdoor dining experience, even going to the ballpark or out to a picnic event in the open, it’s generally very safe right now. It’s not 0% risk. So, if you have a loved one at home who is incredibly susceptible, those folks should continue to use the mask. We just need to get comfortable with this level of variability.
The bills are working their way through the Legislature a year after George Floyd’s death in Minneapolis. Floyd, who was Black, died after white police Officer Derek Chauvin pressed his knee into his neck for 9 minutes, 29 seconds. Chauvin lost his job and was found guilty of murder. Numerous other shootings of Black people by white police officers across the country, including in Wisconsin, have placed greater attention on policing policies and accelerated calls for change.
The move marks a step forward in the Biden administration’s effort to clear a backlog of claims in the borrower defense program, which provides loan forgiveness to students who were defrauded by their colleges. Claims piled up during the Trump administration, which stalled the program and only started processing claims after a federal court demanded it. There are now more than 100,000 pending claims.
Four men and a woman suffered gunshot wounds during the attack in the 3800 block of West Monroe Street about 9:20 p.m., authorities said in a media notification. One of the people was in critical condition after the shooting, but four others had been listed in good condition, officials said.
“Arts and cultural institutions can strengthen communities by transforming spaces, fostering empathy, reflecting community identity, advancing economic mobility, improving academic outcomes, lowering crime rates, and improving mental health,” Scott said in a blog post.
Illinois Senate President Don Harmon, D-Oak Park, listens as state Sen. Jason Barickman, R-Bloomington, delivers his remarks on Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s amendatory veto of the budget legislation on the floor of the Illinois Senate at the state Capitol in Springfield on June 15, 2021. (Justin L. Fowler/The State Journal-Register/AP)
Gregory Lee Garner, 27, was arrested Friday in Aurora and charged with felony counts of armed robbery with a firearm, felon in possession or use of a fire and aggravated battery with a deadly weapon stemming from five incidents in the city in February and March, Aurora police said in a news release.
Prior to the pandemic, liquor stores in Chicago were allowed to sell most types of alcohol until 2 a.m. or later. There have been efforts in recent years by some aldermen concerned about violence and loitering near liquor stores to set earlier hours, but those proposals have not gained much traction.
It’s the second technical issue this week for Southwest, which said flights were disrupted Monday due to issues at a third-party weather data provider involving weather information needed to safely operate flights. Southwest said it is still investigating the causes of the technology issues.
As a result, universities have raised tuition and student fees over the years to make up for the lack of state support, placing a higher financial burden on students. In 2002, for example, “state funds on average covered 72% of public university costs vs. 28% from tuition and fees,” the report says, while in 2020, “the situation has flipped, with the state covering 35.6% vs. 64.4% from tuition and fees.”