Mail-in ballot count error found
An Illinois Republican will keep her county board seat after the Illinois State Board of Elections found a computer error double-counted mail-in ballots in the November general election. A DeKalb County election official said the counting error means Laurie Emmer will retain her seat instead of her Democratic opponent, and the tabulation error was reported for mail-in ballots only and didn’t affect other election results.
AIDS drug being added to program
The Illinois Department of Public Health has announced that a new, long-acting HIV treatment called Cabenuva will become available to thousands of people in Illinois starting in January 2023. The injectable medication, which is being added to the list of treatments that are available through the State’s AIDS Drug Assistance Program, is administered once a month or every other month and replaces oral medications that need to be taken daily.
Safe drug use sites urged
Amid a nationwide opioid crisis, a proposal in Springfield would allow state-licensed drug injection sites to open across Illinois in an effort to reduce fatal overdoses. During a news conference Thursday, State Rep. LaShawn Ford said setting up safe spaces would save taxpayer dollars and lives. Under Ford’s bill, the Illinois Department of Human Services would create a Harm Reduction Services license that would be issued for safe sites. Ford introduced the measure last year before the country’s first injection sites opened in New York City.
