(SPRINGFIELD) States Attorneys from Illinois and 40 other states are prodding Congress to require a U.S. surgeon general warning for young people on social media platforms. The group is urging action amid heightened concern about how algorithms on social media can affect mental health, including depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts. According to the Pew Research Center, 95% of youth ages 13 to 17 reported currently using social media.
(SPRINGFIELD) The City of Springfield has reversed an effort to allow police to fine and eventually arrest people for camping in public. An ordinance filed by Mayor Misty Buscher to set up public camping fines was withdrawn from consideration in the state’s capitol. Heartland Housed, a Springfield group that advocates for the homeless, commended the mayor and city officials and now looks forward to more conversation on the subject.
(SPRINGFIELD) The Illinois Secretary of State’s Office celebrated this past Tuesday, the 10th of September, as National Teen Voter Registration Day, reporting that nearly 49,000 (48,555) 16- and 17-year-olds have taken advantage of a new law in Illinois that enables them to pre-register to vote before turning 18. National Teen Voter Registration Day is a push nationwide to get teenagers involved in the democratic process, with many local high schools hosting voter registration drives and activities. Learn more online at ilsos.gov.
(CHAMPAIGN) The final month of summer had mild temperatures, except for three days early in August and the final week of August with highs at 90 degrees or above, plus a drier than normal August in comparison to one of the wettest July’s in history the month before, that’s according to the Illinois State Water Survey at the University of Illinois. The average statewide temperature in August was 73.6 degrees, right at the 1991-2020 average, and tied for the 63rd warmest on record. The statewide average total August rain was 2.96 inches, which was sixty-three hundredths of an inch (0.63) below the 1991-2020 average and the 49th wettest August on record. For more, go to the Survey’s website online, at isws.illinois.edu.