Ill State News

November is National Carbon Monoxide Awareness Month

SPRINGFIELD, Ill- The Office of the Illinois State Fire Marshal (OSFM) is raising awareness during National Carbon Monoxide Awareness Month this November. The OSFM is urging everyone to recognize the silent and invisible danger of carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning, which claims hundreds of lives and sickens thousands each year across the United States.   In 2024, […]

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IDPH issues reminder about potential hazards of consuming raw milk

SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) is issuing a general reminder to the public about the potential dangers of consuming raw milk after at least eleven people were recently sickened by such products. While most milk products sold in the state are pasteurized, meaning they have been treated with heat to kill viruses,

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Legislature passes ‘medical aid in dying’ bill that governor says he will review

By Maggie Dougherty Capitol News Illinois mdougherty@capitolnewsillinois.com CHICAGO — Terminally ill adults in Illinois may have the option to take life-ending medication prescribed by a physician under a bill passed by the Illinois legislature last week during its fall session.   Advocates for the bill say it is rooted in compassion and will bring agency

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Inmate families, prison employees are split on mail scanning program

By Peter Hancock Capitol News Illinois phancock@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – Families of Illinois prison inmates and legal advocates spoke out this week against a new program at the Illinois Department of Corrections that restricts incarcerated people’s access to incoming mail and in some cases only allows them to see electronically scanned images of letters and other

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Get Covered Illinois scales up support as open enrollment for 2026 health insurance begins

CHICAGO – Get Covered Illinois kicked off 2026 open enrollment and launched its “Here to Help” campaign across the state.    Open enrollment, which began on November 1 and runs through January 15, is the annual opportunity for Illinoisans to enroll in, renew, or change their health insurance plans. Nearly 466,000 Illinoisans purchased health coverage through Get Covered Illinois during

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Illinois lawmakers approve state-specific vaccine guidelines, punt on gambling bill

By Brenden MooreCapitol News Illinois  bmoore@capitolnewsillinois.com  SPRINGFIELD — Illinois lawmakers passed two-dozen bills during their annual fall veto session that ended Friday, Oct. 31, including a measure that will empower the state’s Department of Public Health to issue vaccine guidelines amid federal uncertainty. House Bill 767 would allow IDPH Director Sameer Vohra to issue state-specific

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Illinois goes from ‘F’ To ‘A’ on support for survivors of human trafficking

SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois State Police (ISP) is announcing Illinois has gone from an “F” on the Shared Hope International Just Like Me report cards: https://reportcards.sharedhope.org/ to an “A” due to the recent passage of the Illinois Statewide Trauma-Informed Response to Human Trafficking Act.    ILLINOIS STATE WIDE TRAUMA   The Just Like Me Report Cards

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Trump administration OKs partial SNAP funding for November after judges’ orders

The USDA declined to tap into additional funds, which will delay and reduce benefits By MAGGIE DOUGHERTY Capitol News Illinois mdougherty@capitolnewsillinois.com CHICAGO — The Trump administration said Monday it would use emergency funds to partially fund SNAP benefits for November but would not tap into other funds to provide full coverage. The means the more

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Illinois State Fire Marshal’s office announces statewide transition to new national emergency reporting system

SPRINGFIELD, Ill – The Illinois State Fire Marshal’s Office has announced that fire departments across the state are beginning the transition to the National Emergency Response Information System (NERIS)—a secure, cloud-based platform built to modernize how emergency incidents are reported and analyzed.   Departments across the country are onboarding to NERIS as part of a phased

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