Lawyer seeking contempt over mask issue
Plaintiffs in the case challenging mask and exclusion policies in Illinois public schools are seeking to hold Chicago Public Schools officials in contempt of court.
Attorney Thomas DeVore on Monday filed contempt charges against CPS. He said all last week, children of the plaintiffs were allowed to attend class without masks. That changed Monday, DeVore said, with Chicago school officials excluding his clients’ children from attending class without a mask.
CPS officials didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
Pritzker wants more higher ed spending
Gov. J.B. Pritzker has been making the rounds touting his $2.2 billion proposed investment in Illinois colleges and universities.
It is a familiar theme around the country. Governors in many states, including California, Kentucky, Missouri and Colorado, have proposed overall increases to state higher education appropriations for fiscal year 2023.
Illinois Legislature back in action Tuesday
Both chambers of the Illinois Legislature return to in-person session Tuesday after canceling most of their scheduled days so far this calendar year.
Lawmakers are in session every week through the first week of April.
Illinois American Water prices could go up
Customers of Illinois American Water could see an increase in their water and wastewater bills next year. The company has filed a request with the Illinois Commerce Commission for adjustment in water base rates.
A spokesperson said this is driven primarily by over $1.1 billion in completed or planned investment in water system improvements and wastewater system improvements.
Seeking to expunge cannabis convictions
An Illinois lawmaker is hoping to help more people erase previous cannabis charges from their record. Recreational marijuana has been legal in Illinois since Jan. 1, 2020, and included the automatic expungement of nearly 500,000 pot arrest records.
State Rep. Carol Ammons hopes to remove cannabis testing from the requirement for expungement to help speed up the process.
Meijer and Sam’s Club approved for online SNAP
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has approved retailers Meijer and Sam’s Club for SNAP online purchasing in Illinois.
LINK card users can now purchase groceries online through eleven retail chains across Illinois.
The state has about 1.8 million SNAP recipients.
– The Center Square
