About 5,000 Illinoisans live with sickle cell disease, a gene defect most common in Black people that causes red blood cells to be misshapen and die off early, resulting in chronic fatigue and pain.
Stories by Dilpreet Raju — Capitol News Illinois
His Conviction Was Overturned After 35 Years Wrongfully Served. State Law Caps His Compensation at 14 Years
A new bill in the General Assembly would seek to remove the roughly $200,000 cap on payments to exonerees that maxes out at the 14-year mark, replacing it with a payout of $50,000 per year, capped at just over $2 million.
New Birth Center to Open on South Side as Pritzker Touts Proposed Maternal Health Spending
The nonprofit Chicago South Side Birth Center will mark the city’s second active midwife-led birth center, but the first for the South Side. Advocates say the Black-led center offers safe birthing alternatives in a medically underserved area of the city.
Chicago Nonprofit to Receive $15M in Federal Funding to Help Launch Regional Water Sustainability Industry
The U.S. National Science Foundation awarded the grant to Current Innovation NFP, a nonprofit “innovation hub” whose mission is to “solve pressing water challenges caused by climate change and pollution.”
Illinois Partners with Google to Launch New Portal for Children’s Mental Health Resources
The Illinois Department of Human Services is partnering with Google to launch a new centralized portal for children’s mental health care, state officials announced Monday.
Illinois Supreme Court to Determine If Cannabis Odor is Cause for Vehicle Search
Case tests language of 2020 legalization law
The court heard two consolidated cases of individuals who were in vehicles that were searched after an officer used the smell of cannabis as probable cause. Lawyers argued the smell of cannabis alone should not be probable cause to search a vehicle given that the substance is no longer illegal in Illinois.
Amid Record Overdoses and Drug Counselor Shortage, Illinois Workforce Expansion Program Aims to Fill Gap
Amid five straight years of record overdose deaths in Illinois, a new state program aims to alleviate a shortage of professionals who work to prevent substance use disorders.
Illinois Supreme Court Rules Chicago Not Liable for Street Pothole Not ‘Intended’ for Cyclists
The case pertained to a section of the Tort Immunity Act, which states local public entities have a duty to maintain property in a safe condition for “people whom the entity intended and permitted to use the property.”
Illinois Health Plan Declares Racism a Public Health Crisis
A new state health report pinpoints racism as a public health crisis while also noting Illinois needs to improve in the areas of maternal and infant health, mental health and substance use disorders.
Candidate Filing Begins Monday, Signaling Official Start of 2024 Election Cycle
Monday morning marks the official beginning of the 2024 election cycle in Illinois, opening up the week-long period when candidates for local, state, congressional and judicial races are required to turn in the signatures they’ve spent the last two months collecting to get on the ballot.
