Office of the Architect to begin discussion on statues at statehouse
There could be some movement of various statues on the grounds of the Illinois State Capitol in Springfield.
The Office of the Architect of the Capitol this morning began a conversation on statues.
Last month, House Speaker Michael Madigan sought to remove statues of Stephen Douglas and Pierre Menard, and to relocate a statue of Martin Luther King Jr. to a more prominent location.
Illinois Supreme Court to help civil litigants get questions answered
Nearly half of civil litigants represent themselves, and the Illinois Supreme Court said those who meet certain income thresholds will soon have a free help desk to get answers to their legal questions answered.
Beginning Sept. 1, free legal help will be available through the Illinois Free Legal Answers for Civil Appeals program. Questions can be submitted online at IL.FreeLegalAnswers.org.
No state fair this year
Today would have been Governor’s Day at the Illinois State Fair in Springfield with events for Democrats, but that is not happening.
Tomorrow would have been Republican Day, but that as well is not happening.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker canceled this year’s activities for the ten-day annual expo because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Next year’s fair is scheduled for Aug. 12-22.
Pritzker scores a win in school district case
The attorney representing three school districts that were sued by the state over their own COVID-19 protocols says he will take the case to the appeals court.
A Sangamon County Judge on Tuesday issued a temporary restraining order against the schools on behalf of the state.
Attorney Thomas Devore said the schools issued their own COVID-19 mitigations that weren’t in total compliance with the state’s orders and he plans to appeal the order.
Navy Pier to close until next Spring
Chicago’s Navy Pier will soon be closed until at least next Spring.
Chicago media outlets reported one of the state’s most popular tourist attractions will close Sept. 8, which affects about 70 businesses on the pier.
The nonprofit already projected losing $20 million in anticipated revenues, or more than a third of last year’s total revenue.
Two state agencies look to reduce unemployment fraud
Two state agencies are coming together to combat unemployment fraud.
More than 120,000 cases of fraudulent benefits went out to people who didn’t apply for them in Illinois, according to the Pritzker administration.
They’ve now announced the departments of Employment Security and Financial and Professional Regulation are partnering with financial institutions to identify and recover fraudulent payments.
