Schools to face judge over mask issue
Some parents were upset that their children were forced to wear masks at school even though they were a part of a recent lawsuit that allowed their children to go maskless.
A Sangamon County judge ruled that Gov. J.B. Pritzker went beyond his authority when he created a mask mandate for schools.
According to the Chicago Tribune, parents at Mount Greenwood Elementary were part of that lawsuit and now the principal will have to face a judge later this month for violating the temporary restraining order on the mandate.
Chicago Public Schools and a high school in Libertyville will also have to face contempt allegations later this month.
ISBE COVID vaccine rule to be heard Thursday
The Illinois State Board of Education on Thursday will take up a proposed rule for mandatory vaccinations for school staff.
ISBE heard public comments at last month’s meeting, where opinions differed on whether to require either COVID-19 vaccines or testing.
If advanced during Thursday’s hearing, such a rule could be blocked by the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules.
Police looking at drone legislation
A proposed measure concerning drones and law enforcement is getting support from the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police.
The group said bills in the Illinois House and Senate would protect residents from drone surveillance but allow police to employ the devices in critical searches and investigations.
Police group criticizes early release of convicted killer
The Illinois Fraternal Order of Police is objecting to the release of convicted cop killer Aaron Hyche.
The group said Hyche was convicted in 1976 of murdering Illinois State Police trooper Layton Davis in Effingham County and was recently given early release by the Illinois Prisoner Review Board.
While the victim’s family and the FOP were sent letters about a chance to object, the FOP said the felon was released before the deadline to file those objections.
Another winter storm could hit Illinois
Illinois may be in the bullseye of another winter storm this week. Depending on the weather modeling, areas of the state could receive over a foot of snow Thursday.
One model has the storm shifting to the north and affecting Chicago and northern Illinois. The other model has the storm dumping most of the snow on Central Illinois.
Committee hears about need for storm shelters
An Illinois House committee addressed the fatal Amazon warehouse collapse in Edwardsville during a tornado. Six workers died when the twister struck the site in the Metro East area Dec. 10.
During a hearing Monday, Illinois AFL CIO president Tim Drea pointed a finger toward employers. He said low wages and few benefits creates high turnover rates and training is not done as well as it should be.
