Among other findings, the study concluded, “In fact, no specific sport had a statistically higher incidence rate than the background incidence among adolescents across the state during the same time period.”

“Opening our offices is going to be done with a real sensitivity toward making sure we have a safe environment for claimants and department employees,” she said. “It’s no secret that there have been acts of violence, threatening activity leveled at agency offices and that is hugely concerning. I have a real reticence to do anything that will put people in harm’s way.”

Statewide, there were 47,528 new unemployment claims filed last week, the week of Oct. 5, 29,390 new unemployment claims the week of Sept. 21, and 25,976 claims filed the week of Sept. 14.

At its peak the rally had more than a hundred people. As it broke up Thursday afternoon, workers were boarding up windows on the front of a county building, and government vehicles were being used to restrict access to certain streets.

Illinois State Police will “not only issue warnings but also issue citations if necessary…We are asking state’s attorneys to simply follow through on those citations, those are monetary citations,” Pritzker said. “We also … will look to remove people’s liquor license and their gaming license if they will not follow the resurgence mitigations.”

“I was talking to an operator yesterday who has two well-established restaurants and he’s down at one of them [by] 40 percent and the other one 30 percent down, and it is tough to make it on that,” State Rep. Mike Murphy, R-Springfield, said. “They claim that they have a valid reason to do this. Well, show us the data.”

Pritzker said this week that many towns aren’t trying to get the money, something the Illinois Municipal League’s Brad Cole is not buying into. “The notion that municipalities are turning away money is ridiculous.”

“The communication breakdown is with the people that are spreading these lies,” Pritzker said. ” … People don’t seem to understand this and they want to take one minor bit of data and try to blow it out like its proof of bars and restaurants are not spreading locations.”

The credit rating agency also said Illinois will soon pass the point of no return on public pension debt. It warned against schemes to stretch or delay pension payments.

With a growing burden of state regulations and taxes, Illinois’ tone towards small businesses has changed over the 51 years Midwest Groundcovers has been in Illinois, owner Peter Orum said. “Illinois used to be a good place to do business. We have a bunch of rules, like other states, but we could still get by…It seems like now there’s something new every week.”

Jim Dey: “Municipal league Executive Director Brad Cole called the holiday legislation a “massive unfunded mandate” that “created a lot of uncertainty” because it was “poorly written.”…What Cole means is that municipal entities can decide for themselves how to proceed on Election Day, and it seems likely that many will opt not to spend money they don’t have on unscheduled overtime or days off.”

The state and city of Chicago together spent about $107 million to build and then operate a little-used field hospital at McCormick Place. It closed in early May after receiving only 38 patients over four weeks. The average cost of treating a patient there was at least $2.81 million.

Kilbride characterized his relationship with Madigan as only a distant one. “And the only thing I’ve ever talked to him about is baseball and Notre Dame football and health, staying healthy. I’ve never discussed a case with him. He’s never asked me about a case. No one on his behalf has ever inquired about a case.”

Any ‘assembly’ work that might be done at the factory would likely be late stage final assembly, which wouldn’t have anywhere near the kind of impact on the local economy that Foxconn promised.

Pritzker, who has frequently clashed with Trump, follows California, New York, Michigan and other states that have also claimed they want to independently vet any potential vaccine.

Illinois Municipal League Director Brad Cole said, “This is seven months into the process. The money needs to start flowing or it’s going to be too late. We’re going to be in the next pandemic before the money for this pandemic gets released by the state of Illinois.”

“As the science surrounding COVID-19 has evolved, so must the metrics for mitigation.” said Sam Toia, president and CEO of the Illinois Restaurant Association. “Earlier curfews and reduced occupancy levels are two examples of more reasonable measures.”

The filing states, “If all of the actions of Pritzker complained of herein could not be more derogatory to this Court’s authority and dignity, he specifically went on to issue executive orders 60 and 61 even after this Honorable Court, just two days prior, refused to vacate” the Clay County order from this summer.

“The governor’s emergency powers stem from the Illinois Emergency Management Agency Act, which limits the exercise of emergency powers to 30 days after a disaster proclamation is made…The Act is silent as to whether the emergency powers can be renewed in that way, and the Illinois General Assembly has not stepped in to clarify with new legislation.”

Tuition rates continue to soar compared to the average income for those going to college or tech schools. “We have families that are priced out not just from college attendance in general at four year institutions, but also public two year institutions,” said UIUC professor Eboni Zamani-Gallaher.

“Separation makes you vulnerable and progressive tax regimes allow for that separation,” said Austin Berg, vice president of marketing with the Illinois Policy Institute. “Claims that this tax is in any way helpful to the working poor in Illinois is insulting…They would be stuck paying the highest tax burden in the Midwest for low-income workers and the third highest tax burden in the nation for low-income workers.”