(SPRINGFIELD) The Illinois Attorney General’s Office, as part of a bipartisan group of 43 nationwide attorneys general, has announced a settlement with Johnson & Johnson to resolve allegations the company deceptively promoted & misled the public in advertisements related to the safety and purity of some talcum powder products, including baby powder & body powder. Under the judgement, the company has stopped production of the products in America. Illinois’ portion will be $29 million, pending court approval.
(TORONTO) Governor J.B. Pritzker took time during his trade mission trip to Canada yesterday to deliver the keynote address at the US-Canada Summit in Toronto. While Canada is Illinois’ largest trading partner, the focus of the trip is to continue collaboration to attract more trade opportunities. The Illinois Department of Commerce & Economic Opportunity reports from 2009 to 2022, exports to Canada increased by $37 billion, or 89%, and supported over 800,000 jobs. While the top exports to Canada from Illinois are coal & petroleum products and transportation equipment, the top imports are oil, gas, and food.
(SPRINGFIELD) The state is moving ahead with plans to tear down and rebuild Stateville Correctional Center in Will County. Built in 1925, conditions at the facility have been described as “decrepit, unsafe, and inhumane” by the prison watchdog group, John Howard Association. It was during a Commission on Government Forecasting & Accountability meeting last night in Joliet that state officials said Stateville is too far gone to be repaired. The overall plan also calls for the Logan Correctional Center in Lincoln to be closed and rebuilt with the cost of both projects at about $900 million. A Commission meeting on the Logan facility will be held tomorrow. A final recommendation is expected by Saturday.
(SPRINGFIELD) Behind only the District of Columbia, Illinois is the worst state in the nation for racial equality. That’s according to a new report from the consumer finance website WalletHub.com, showing that the Land of Lincoln is 50th on the list for the unemployment rate and the share of unsheltered homeless for minority populations. While neighboring Missouri is 26th worst overall, Kentucky is ranked 11th.