State budget agreement reached
Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Democrats in the General Assembly say they have agreed on a budget for fiscal year 2023.
The budget, according to the governor’s office, would bring nearly $1.8 billion in tax relief for some Illinois families.
Two of the proposals include a one-year suspension of the grocery tax and a six month freeze on the gas tax. Republicans said the temporary tax relief is just election-year posturing.
Chicago’s public health director not alarmed by COVID cases
Chicago’s public health commissioner said although COVID-19 cases are rising, she is not alarmed.
Dr. Allison Arwady said a subvariant of the omicron virus, commonly known as “stealth omicron,” now make up 67% of new cases in the Midwest. Arwady said the reason for her optimism is that people who had the original omicron variant will have some immunity against the latest strain.
Customs finds human skulls, snails and more
U.S. Customs and Border Protection workers at O’Hare International Airport Mail Facility have made some unusual discoveries they say could have brought agricultural diseases to the country.
Agriculture specialists have seized more than 1,500 shipments containing banned items over the past six months, including live snails and human skulls. The six human skulls came from the Netherlands, but how they went from human bodies to being part of a mail shipment is unclear.
Raw oysters potentially contaminated
The Food and Drug Administration is warning of potentially contaminated raw oysters in Illinois and 12 other states.
The agency is working with U.S. and Canadian public health officials regarding a norovirus outbreak that has been linked to raw oysters from British Columbia. The FDA said it is also important to be aware that noroviruses are relatively resistant to heat and can survive in temperatures as high as 145 degrees.
Community looking for dangerous dog registry
One Illinois community is reviewing local rules and policies regarding dangerous dogs after a pair of recent attacks killed two dogs.
In late February in Naperville, a poodle mix named Lucy was killed after a woman lost control of her two dogs that then attacked the pet. In March, a Chihuahua named Shadow was killed when two loose dogs attacked. That owner is calling on Naperville to create a registry of dangerous dogs, so people know the potential risks in their neighborhoods.
Proposed cannabis dispensary blocked
An Illinois cannabis firm can’t legally move a dispensary into the site of a former Rainforest Cafe.
Palatine-based Progressive Treatment Solutions, or PTS Corp., wanted to move into the former restaurant space in Chicago, which closed amid the pandemic in 2020.
A dispensary can’t open within 1,500 feet of an existing pot shop, and there are at least three dispensaries that are located within that distance.
