Illinois in Focus

By The Center SquareNews

Illinois in Focus episodes

July 02, 2021 Episode 145: Illinois’ unemployment offices still closed to public
Those needing to speak in person with someone at the state’s unemployment offices haven’t been able to for well over a year and it’s still not clear when the offices will be open.
Offices around the state for the Illinois Department of Employment Security have been closed since the spring of 2020. For months while unemployment claims spiked because of the governor’s COVID-19 restrictions closing businesses, backlogs grew and phone lines were flooded.
IDES officials have said there are health and physical safety
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50 min
June 25, 2021 Episode 144: Illinois gets gas tax hike next week
Illinois has some of the highest fuel gas prices in the country, and next week, taxes on fuel will increase.
On July 1st, the tax will increase about a half-cent per gallon, depending on the blend.
Gasoline prices are the highest they’ve been since July 2019, when the state gas tax doubled to 38 cents. At that time, lawmakers put in place an automatic gas tax hike tied to inflation.
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59 min
June 18, 2021 Episode 143: Some question if it's a 'new day' following overtime session
Illinois in Focus Ep 143: Some question if it's a 'new day' following overtime session
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54 min
June 11, 2021 Episode 142: Illinois reopens after 15 months of COVID-19 restrictions
As the state prepares to fully reopen for the first time in 15 months on Friday, the governor is giving Illinoisans a pat on the back.
Starting Friday, there will be no capacity restrictions, but businesses can still require masks for unvaccinated people. There are also mask requirements for public transportation, medical facilities, correctional facilities, schools and day care centers.
On Friday, the state will eliminate all capacity limits on businesses, large-scale events, conventions, amusement parks and other venues. Mask requirements for vaccinated and non-vaccinated people continue to align with guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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1 hr
June 04, 2021 Episode 141: Partisan politics on display as legislative session ends
Illinois in Focus Ep 141: Partisan politics on display as legislative session ends
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42 min
May 28, 2021 Episode 140: Madigan's former chief of staff indicted on ComEd corruption probe
Tim Mapes served for years under former House Speaker Michael Madigan as the clerk of the Illinois House and as Madigan’s chief of staff. Now, Mapes has been indicted on a charge of lying to a grand jury in a federal bribery probe connected to the longtime former speaker.
Last summer, federal prosecutors revealed a deferred prosecution agreement ComEd entered into where the utility admitted to paying associates of Madigan in money and jobs in order to curry favor from the then-speaker. Com-Ed agreed to pay a $200 million fine and cooperate in the investigation.

Madigan has not been charged with a crime and has said he’s done nothing wrong. He is “Public Official A” in federal filings, a pseudonym that is used throughout the Mapes indictment documents and previous legal filings.
Four others associated with Madigan, including longtime confidant Michael McClain, and two former ComEd officials, were indicted several months ago and have pleaded not guilty. One former ComEd official, Fidel Marquez, has pleaded guilty in the case.
Wednesday, federal prosecutors released details about the indictment of Mapes.
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53 min
May 21, 2021 Episode 139: Pritzker repeals mask mandate, leaves door open for vaccine checks at businesses
Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s emergency rule requiring businesses to mandate masks has been repealed and a leading retailers association says they are not being asked to check your vaccine status, but they could if they wanted.

The latest order issued Monday says the governor’s “bridge” reopening plan does require retailers to “cap occupancy at 60 percent of store capacity, or, alternatively, at the occupancy limits based on store square footage,” though vaccinated individuals don’t count to that.
Retailers must also “communicate with customers through in-store signage, and public service announcements and advertisements, about the social distancing and face-covering requirements,” the order says, but that doesn't impact vaccinated people.
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1 hr 6 min
May 14, 2021 Episode 138: Welcome to Illinois' Bridge Phase...now what?
Illinois is entering another COVID-19 reopening phase that was added by Gov. J.B. Pritzker in March.
Capacity limits on a wide range of businesses and activities will be slightly loosened Friday as the state enters the next to last phase of the governor’s pandemic reopening plan.
Pritzker announced last week that the state would enter the Bridge Phase of his plan, a final step before all restrictions are lifted, as the spread of COVID-19 has slowed and a large percentage of Illinoisans had received at least one dose of a vaccine.

Reaching the next phase means 70% of Illinois residents 65 and older are vaccinated in addition to maintaining 20% ICU bed availability and holding positive cases, hospitalizations and mortality rates steady for a 28-day period.

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51 min
May 07, 2021 Episode 137: Illinois could reopen as early as June 11
Pandemic restrictions in Illinois will be further loosened next week, and the state could reopen nearly fully as early as June 11.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced Thursday the state will be entering the “Bridge Phase” on May 14, a transitional period between Phase 4 restrictions and fully opening in Phase 5.

The bridge to Phase 5 expands capacity to 60% for theaters, gyms, spectator events, offices, museums, and amusement parks. Mask requirements would stay in place until the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advises otherwise.
Earlier this week, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot said the city is looking to open things up fully by July 4. Lightfoot also announced that the Chicago Auto Show, which was cancelled last year, will be back at McCormick Place July 15 through 19. Attendees will have to register in advance and fill out a health survey, but vaccines won’t be required. Lightfoot said the goal is to have no capacity limits in the city by July 4.
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49 min
April 30, 2021 Episode 136: Illinois set to lose Congressional seat due to population loss
Illinois will lose one member from the U.S. House of Representatives because of continued population declines.
It was expected Illinois would lose representation, based on year-over-year annual Census estimates showing the state losing an estimated 253,000 residents over the past ten years.

Illinois was one of seven states that will lose one seat for the Congress that will be seated in 2023.
Illinois has lost ten seats in the U.S. House over the past 110 years, according to Census data. In 1910, Illinois had 27 members of the U.S. House. That dropped by one in 1940, another one in 1950, another in 1960 and then two in 1990 with one every ten years since then.

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44 min

About Illinois in Focus

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The podcast bringing you the most important stories out of Illinois from TheCenterSquare.com. Join us as we dive into the top headlines and provide insightful commentary and analysis.