(SPRINGFIELD) Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker says the Land of Lincoln is joining the World Health Organization’s Global Outbreak Alert & Response Network (GOARN). The move comes after the United States withdrew from the World Health Organization last month. The worldwide network (GOARN) is a World Health Organization-coordinated partnership of national governments, public health institutions, academic centers, and other organizations focused on detecting and responding to emerging public health threats all across the world.
(CHICAGO) The Chicago Teachers Union is calling on the Governor and General Assembly to tax the rich in order to expand the state budget and pay for pensions. After Governor Pritzker announced plans recently to reduce the state’s unfunded pension liability by expanding the pension buyout program and transferring unexpected revenue, the CTU says Illinois should start taxing millionaires like Massachusetts does, raising billions of dollars for schools and colleges.
(SPRINGFIELD) An upstate lawmaker has introduced legislation that would restrict the use of artificial intelligence when determining a patient’s priority in a hospital emergency room. House Bill 4233 follows recently-announced plans by OSF Healthcare to integrate AI for predicting patient diagnoses and treatments. The measure would limit hospital emergency departments from using health care kiosks or digital check-ins for determining a patient’s medical state to select their place in line for emergency treatment.
(SPRINGFIELD) The Illinois Coalition Against Domestic Violence nonprofit group is collaborating with Ring, an Amazon company, to distribute Ring X Line devices and subscriptions to domestic violence survivors. During fiscal year 2026, the Illinois Attorney General’s office has approved more than $5.5 million in grant funds for 78 agencies across the state that provide services to domestic violence survivors. Those needing assistance can contact the Attorney General’s violence prevention and crime victim services division online.