CHICAGO — Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Friday signed into regulation sweeping reproductive well being care laws to guard out-of-state abortion seekers, including Illinois to the record of states which have positioned authorized reinforcements across the process after the U.S. Supreme Courtroom’s choice to overturn Roe v. Wade.
Illinois
Illinois enacts safeguard for abortion patients, providers
“Right here in Illinois, we all know that reproductive care is well being care,” Pritzker mentioned. “A medical choice ought to be made between a affected person and their well being care supplier.”
For the reason that Supreme Courtroom’s Dobbs choice in June left abortion legalization as much as the states, Deliberate Parenthood of Illinois has seen folks looking for therapy from 33 states, in contrast with 10 to fifteen earlier than the ruling. Deliberate Parenthood spokesperson Mary Jane Maharry mentioned roughly 30% of its sufferers are from exterior of Illinois, in comparison with about 6% pre-Dobbs.
Following the excessive court docket’s decree, many Illinois lawmakers and advocacy teams urged Pritzker to name a particular legislative session to bolster Illinois’ protections. As an alternative, Home Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch fashioned working teams on abortion and different high priorities, together with one which led to a ban on semiautomatic weapons Pritzker signed into regulation Tuesday.
The so-called Dobbs Choice working group was led by Chicago Democratic Rep. Kelly Cassidy. Talking earlier than a dozen lawmakers and advocates at Pritzker’s Chicago information convention, she proclaimed the regulation only the start.
“We must reply to the brand new ways in which bully states will provide you with to assault sufferers and suppliers,” Cassidy mentioned. “Our mission is evident: If you wish to come after folks looking for care or their suppliers, in case your mission is to torment trans youngsters and their households, you’re going to must get by all of us first.”
Mary Kate Zander, head of anti-abortion group Illinois Proper to Life, mentioned the governor’s “pro-abortion legacy is, in observe, harming ladies and depriving unborn kids of a possibility at life. This can be politically expedient for Gov. Pritzker at present, however it gained’t age properly.”
However the measure’s Senate sponsor, Democratic Sen. Celina Villanueva of Chicago, mentioned such delicate selections ought to be left to people.
“This laws consolidates Illinois as an island that protects reproductive and gender-affirming rights within the Midwest,” Villaneuva mentioned. “It locations our state on the forefront of a nation for granting folks the liberty to make their life selections.”
O’Connor reported from Springfield, In poor health.
Savage is a corps member for the Related Press/Report for America Statehouse Information Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit nationwide service program that locations journalists in native newsrooms to report on undercovered points.
Illinois
Former Illinois caregiver charged after elderly patient suffers severe burns from hot shower: AG
DUPAGE COUNTY – Criminal charges have been filed against a Glendale Heights woman accused of neglecting an elderly patient at a long-term care facility in Bensenville, resulting in serious injuries.
Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul alleges the now-former caregiver failed to check the water temperature before placing the resident in a hot shower.
What we know:
Raoul’s office said the incident occurred in June 2024 at a Ray Graham Association (RGA) home in Bensenville. The facility serves individuals with disabilities or healthcare needs who require round-the-clock care.
According to Raoul, Darnitia Conner failed to test the water temperature before placing the elderly resident in a hot shower, leading to second-degree burns across most of the patient’s lower body.
Conner also allegedly tried to conceal the incident by failing to notify medical staff about the severity of the injuries.
What they’re saying:
“Residents of long-term care facilities and community-based group homes rely on caretakers for their health and wellness,” Raoul said in a statement. “All Illinois residents deserve to be safe in their homes, and it is appalling that any caretaker would cause serious harm to an elderly or vulnerable patient in their care.”
DuPage County Sheriff James Mendrick praised the collaboration between local and state authorities that led to the charges.
“The Sheriff’s Department takes the health, safety, and well-being of all the residents of DuPage County seriously. It was especially disturbing to find a caregiver in a position of trust cause bodily harm to one of its residents because of willful abuse and neglect,” Mendrick said.
What’s next:
Conner, 58, was charged with multiple felonies, including three counts of abuse of a long-term care facility resident and two counts of criminal neglect, each carrying a potential five-year prison sentence.
She also faces one count of reckless conduct, which carries a penalty of up to three years in prison.
Conner has pleaded not guilty, and her next court appearance is scheduled for March 10.
The Source: The information in this article was provided by Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul.
Illinois
Illinois’ NAEP scores are out. How did the state’s fourth and eighth graders do?
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Illinois students who just started school during the COVID pandemic scored lower in reading and math on a test known as the “nation’s report card” compared to Illinois students who took the exam in previous years.
Now in fourth grade, these students would have been kindergarteners when the COVID-19 pandemic shuttered schools and sent classrooms online. For many, first grade was also online or a mix of in-person and virtual learning.
During the pandemic, some parents opted to pull their children from school worrying that there wasn’t a benefit to virtual learning at a young age.
The latest round of test scores from the National Assessment of Educational Progress, also known as NAEP, released on Wednesday shows that Illinois students who missed school or went through the interruptions and struggles of remote learning may still have gaps in their education from that time. However, Illinois eighth grade students — who would have been in fourth grade when the pandemic started — either held steady or outperformed their peers in 2022 in reading and math but their scores lagged behind their peers who took the exam in 2019.
According to the new NAEP data, 38% of Illinois’ fourth graders were proficient in math and 30% were in reading, while 32% of the state’s eighth graders were proficient in math and 33% were in reading.
When compared to other states, Illinois’ fourth grade proficiency rates were comparable to the national average in reading and math, but the state’s eighth graders surpassed the average in both subjects.
State Superintendent Tony Sanders said in a statement that NAEP’s latest results give families, students, and educators a “cause to celebrate.”
“This data is another example, like our state report card and national studies, that Illinois’ students are growing academically,” Sanders said in the statement.
NAEP scores for Chicago Public Schools, Illinois’ largest public school district, show that the district’s eighth graders had significantly higher scores in math and reading scores in 2024 when compared to their peers in 2022. Chicago’s fourth graders had higher math scores than previous groups of students, but lower reading scores.
Twenty one percent of Chicago’s fourth grade students were proficient in math and 23% were in reading. For the district’s eighth graders, 21% were proficient in math and 27% were proficient in reading.
The decline in fourth grade reading scores runs counter to the results of recent state standardized tests. According to a joint study from Stanford and Harvard universities, Chicago students’ reading scores rebounded faster than other districts across the country.
But in a statement, CPS officials focused on the strong performance of eighth grade students.
“This data is consistent with what we have previously seen – that students who remain in our system continue to make learning gains over time,” according to a statement from Chicago Public Schools. “The 8th grade reading score of CPS exceeded the average of large cities and narrowed the gap with the national public average to only 2 points. This marks the closest CPS has ever been to the national public average in 8th grade reading performance.”
The district statement also acknowledged that fourth graders were disproportionately impacted by the pandemic when compared to their older peers. The district said that they have added interventionist positions to support students, instructional coaches to assist educators, and organized tutoring programs.
CPS scores also show disparities between Black and Latino students when compared to white and Asian American peers in reading and math in both grade levels. This has been a trend in NAEP scores over the past decade, predating the pandemic. However, Black and Latino students in eighth grade in 2024 reading and math were comparable to students who took the exam in eighth grade in 2022.
The state’s Illinois Assessment of Readiness from spring 2024 paints a very different picture than NAEP’s 2024 scores. In fact, the IAR — which tests students between third and eighth grade in the spring — found that students’ reading scores were above 2019 scores.
But even on state standardized tests, Illinois and Chicago students’ performance on math tests lagged behind their counterparts’ math scores in pre-pandemic years.
In October, Sanders attributed the growth in IAR reading scores to the changes in how literacy is taught in Illinois schools. Since math scores have yet to grow in the same way as reading scores, Sanders said at the time the state’s report card was released that the board of education was looking into a statewide math and numeracy plan to increase proficiency.
Samantha Smylie is the state education reporter for Chalkbeat Chicago covering school districts across the state, legislation, special education and the state board of education. Contact Samantha at ssmylie@chalkbeat.org.
Illinois
Plan to overhaul Illinois Route 75 bridge moves forward
ROCKTON, Ill. (WIFR) – After almost 100 years of narrowly connecting downtown Rockton to the village’s southern portion, the plan to completely reconstruct the Illinois Route 75 bridge over the Rock River is getting some legs.
The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) team behind the project to completely replace the bridge got community feedback and questions through a virtual public information meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 28.
The meeting included presentations from the people behind the project and Q&A portions for anyone on the call to ask the team their questions.
Panelists from the project included Michael Kuehn, IDOT District 2 Studies and Plans Engineer; Corey Conderman, IDOT District 2; Mike Cima, Quigg Eng. – Project manager; Francis Nelson, Quigg Eng. – Project Engineer. Sarah Parisien with WSP moderated the conversation and asked all of the questions.
Noteworthy Questions and Answers
- Q: Where does this bike path south of the river go?
- A: “The bike path will continue east on River Street to south on Ferry Street. It will connect to Old River Road and head east by the Rockton Athletic Fields toward Illinois 2.
- Q: How much will this project cost?
- A: Estimated to cost between 12 and 13 million dollars.
- Q: Where is the money coming from?
- A: State and federal funding; Taxes on gas
- Q: Where will the detour be?
- Q: How much time will this detour add to my commute across the bridge?
- A: Five minutes, no more than ten minutes
The Illinois Department of Transportation’s plan for the bridge can be seen on its website. IDOT will also post the recording of the meeting for anyone to see.
If you still have questions, they can be emailed to Andrew.P.Dewey@illinois.gov by Tuesday, Feb. 11.
Copyright 2025 WIFR. All rights reserved.
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