Parents sound off over mask policies
Scores of parents around Illinois continue to express outrage that their children are still required to wear masks in school.
The latest incident took place in Algonquin. At a school board meeting this week, a number of parents were vocal about their opinions. One parent was escorted from the meeting, and after a short break, the school board president adjourned the meeting, saying it was no longer peaceful.
The school board failed to vote on the mask issue, so currently students are required to wear them.
GOP gas tax proposal
Senate Republicans say their plan regarding the Illinois gas sales tax is better than the governor’s proposal to freeze the rate this upcoming fiscal year.
State Sen. Terri Bryant said the plan would lower the gas sales tax to 5.25%. To make up for the lost road funds from gas sales, the plan proposes raising road funds from the General Revenue Fund to 53%.
Bryant accused the governor of violating the “lockbox amendment” that passed in 2016, which bans lawmakers from using transportation funds for other purposes.
Proposal increases marriage age to 18
Legislation is being discussed in Springfield that would raise the legal age to get married in Illinois to 18.
The bill’s sponsor, state Rep. Joe Sosnowski, said many girls and some young men are forced into early marriages by their parents.
Under current Illinois law, it is legal for a 16- or 17-year-old to marry with the consent of a judge or of the parents.
Data breach at state agency
The Illinois Housing Development Authority said it is taking steps to protect applicants’ personal information.
On Feb. 1, IHDA became aware of a breach of the Illinois Rental Payment Program web portal where some tenant applicants could see documents submitted by other tenant applicants. The agency determined the exposure was not caused by hackers, but by a coding error on the portal.
Minor suspect to be charged as adult
A 16-year-old boy, wearing an electronic monitor for other offenses, will appear in court Thursday after he was accused of the fatal shooting of a 15-year-old boy in Bronzeville.
The 16-year-old will be charged as an adult in the shooting of Michael Brown, who was killed while walking home from school. The 16-year-old was arrested along with a 15-year-old accomplice in a stolen vehicle about 30 minutes after the shooting.
Marking historic speech at Old State Capitol
A historical marker will be erected on the grounds of the Old State Capitol to commemorate Barack Obama’s 2007 presidential campaign announcement from the building’s lawn.
The Old State Capitol Foundation and the Illinois Department of Natural Resources announced the plan Thursday, the 15th anniversary of the announcement.
Obama returned to the site to announce that then-U.S. Sen. Joe Biden would be his running mate.