Coal City Courant

Illinois Supreme Court allows circuits to design local reopening plans

Published by admin on Thu, 05/21/2020 - 11:02am

SPRINGFIELD — Illinois’ 24 chief judges can decide when to reopen courthouses across the state to in-person proceedings, the state Supreme Court ordered Wednesday.
Each circuit is encouraged to continue holding remote hearings as frequently as possible, an extension of the highest court’s previous guidance. But beginning June 1 and in consultation with local health departments, courthouses may hold jury trials, lawsuit arguments and other actions in a courtroom.

Madigan: Members violating safety precautions could face removal from session

Published by admin on Wed, 05/20/2020 - 11:31am

SPRINGFIELD – The state’s COVID-19 response and operating budget will unsurprisingly be on the top of the agenda for lawmakers as they return for a socially distanced session this week, according to an email distributed to Illinois House members Tuesday.
The House will meet Wednesday through Friday at the Bank of Springfield Center in downtown Springfield, while the Senate will convene at the Capitol in its regular chamber.

Halliday says village will comply with state order, pledges to work on reopening

Published by admin on Tue, 05/19/2020 - 5:16pm

The mayor of Coal City is running low on patience.
As the state of Illinois moved into its 10th week of a stay at home order amid the coronavirus pandemic, Mayor Terry Halliday said its time to get the town reopened. He’s pledged to work with state legislators who are pushing to make that happen.

Coal City adopts fines for businesses ignoring state order

Published by admin on Tue, 05/19/2020 - 5:12pm

Violations of emergency orders issued by the state and village are now punishable by local ordinance.
The Coal City Village Board amended the town code by adopting emergency enforcement actions for breaches of executive orders and disaster declarations issued by the governor of Illinois, village president (mayor) and Illinois Department of Public Health or public health authorities with jurisdiction over the village.

Towns can’t gamble on gaming revenue

Published by admin on Tue, 05/19/2020 - 5:12pm

Illinois is losing an estimated $1.19 million a day, and that’s just this month.
The state’s video gaming machines were taken out of service March 16 as Gov. JB Pritzker’s stay-at-home order went into effect, and each day they remain off-line is a loss of revenue, not only to the state, but local municipalities and the establishments that host the 36,145 licensed terminals.

Coal City offering $50,000 in business loans

Published by admin on Tue, 05/19/2020 - 5:11pm

The village of Coal City is putting $50,000 toward a loan fund to aide businesses impacted by the coronavirus pandemic.
Through the COVID-19 Revolving Loan Fund, the village will offer three-year interest free loans of up to $2,000.
Registered businesses will receive the funds on a first come first served basis through Dec. 30 or until funds have been depleted.

This is the class of 2020

Published by admin on Tue, 05/19/2020 - 5:10pm

Born in the shadow of the 9/11 attacks and now graduating during a global pandemic, the Coal City High School class of 2020 is certain to rise above the events that could easily define their youth. This was a class that never let anything stand in its way.
“They have been fantastic leaders throughout their time at CCHS,” principal Chris Spencer said of the 172 member class.
Each of the students found success in high school from academics and athletics, to fine arts.

Pritzker details contact tracing pilot effort, defends misdemeanor emergency rule

Published by admin on Mon, 05/18/2020 - 6:37pm

Gov. JB Pritzker on Monday announced the launch of Illinois’ contact tracing program and defended an emergency rule filed Friday to allow for misdemeanor charges against businesses defying his stay-at-home order.
The contact-tracing effort for COVID-19 – one that is required to move the state along the governor’s “Restore Illinois” reopening plan – will begin in two pilot counties.

Pritzker announces new employment resources for job seekers

Published by admin on Thu, 05/14/2020 - 6:26pm

Gov. JB Pritzker on Thursday announced new resources to help the hundreds of thousands of people unemployed in Illinois, unveiling an online portal that will offer job training and connect job seekers with prospective employers.
Get Hired Illinois is a “one-stop shop” for job seekers of all levels and backgrounds to access career training programs, virtual job fairs and opportunities to connect with employers, the governor said.

State saw nearly 73,000 new unemployment claims in final week before gig worker portal went live

Published by admin on Thu, 05/14/2020 - 6:21pm

SPRINGFIELD — The U.S. saw nearly 3 million more unemployment claims the week ending May 9, including another 72,993 in Illinois, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.
The 2.98 million claims nationwide in the week pushed the jobless claims in the first two months of the novel coronavirus pandemic to more than 36 million. The unprecedented number of claims made for a national unemployment rate of 15.7 percent the week ending May 2.