Remote learning could come with added costs for some
School districts that had planned for some in-person teaching amid COVID-19 concerns have reversed course to full remote to start the fall semester and that puts parents with jobs in a tough spot.
A new study from BankRate shows 3 of 5 parents nationwide found remote learning will negatively impact their finances, with more than a third saying they would have to either cut their hours at work or quit altogether.
Rose wants Illinois unemployment offices to reopen
State Sen. Chapin Rose is demanding Gov. J.B. Pritzker get the state’s unemployment offices back open.
The offices have been closed to the public since near the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.
There were 22,900 new unemployment filers in Illinois last week.
Link resigns form ethics commission after being hit with tax evasion charge
There’s a vacancy on the Legislative Ethics Commission, the bipartisan group of legislators that oversees complaints against lawmakers.
State Sen. Terry Link, a Democrat from Indian Hills, was charged in the Northern District of Illinois with tax evasion.
Link stepped down from the ethics commission.
He couldn’t be reached for comment.
Link faces federal tax evasion charge
Democratic Indian Creek state Sen. Terry Link was indicted for federal tax evasion.
Link was reportedly the source wearing a wire for federal investigators that led to former state Rep. Luis Arroyo being indicted for offering a bribe.
The charging documents against Arroyo said the unnamed state senator agreed to wear a wire in hopes that cooperating with investigators would mean reduced penalties for violating tax law.
Link denied being that source in 2019.
Pritzker announces $46 million in business grants
The first round of federal dollars approved back in March meant to stimulate local businesses impacted by COVID-19 shutdowns are going out through Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s administration.
At stops in Chicago, Champaign and Bloomington this week, Pritzker announced $46 million for more than 2,600 small businesses.
More than 50 percent are minority-owned. More than a third is going to downstate businesses.
Another $14 million in grants is expected to be announced soon.
ISBE, IEMA distribute 2.5 million cloth face masks
More than 2.5 million cloth face masks are being distributed to public schools in Illinois.
The Illinois State Board of Education and the Illinois Emergency Management Agency are also distributing face shields to schools for increased protection.
Despite that, most school children will be starting the school year remotely.
