Illinois Quick Hits: Gas Continues Record Highs; Parental Notification Of Abortion Repealed; Vallas Announces Mayoral Bid

By The Center Square Staff:

Gas prices continue record highs

Motorists across Illinois and the rest of the country continue to deal with gasoline prices that are reaching new records almost daily, and it appears there is no end in sight. Illinoisans on average are now paying more than $5 a gallon for gasoline.

A year ago it was $3.20 a gallon. According to AAA Illinois, the average price in Chicago is $5.59, in Quincy it is $4.94, motorists in Bloomington-Normal are paying on average $4.74 a gallon, and in Decatur it is $4.65.

Parental notification repealed in Illinois

Wednesday marks the beginning of the repeal of parental notification for abortion in Illinois.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois says the repeal gives "pregnant young people" the same right as everyone else in Illinois. The group March For Life said the repeal of clinics having to notify parents when a minor girl gets an abortion makes Illinois an outlier in the Midwest and takes away parents' rights to know about if the medical procedure is performed on their children.

Measure aims to update nurse staffing agency regulations

Reforms sought to update business and labor practices of nurse staffing agencies are now law in Illinois.

The pandemic increased demand for nurses and nurses aides, causing health-care facilities in Illinois to increasingly rely on temporary contract nurses from staffing agencies. The new law amends and modernizes the Nurse Agency Licensing Act to bring transparency around fees charged, increase Nurse Agency reporting on their pay and labor practices, and expand protections for workers referred by nurse agencies.

Paul Vallas announces Chicago mayoral bid

Former Chicago Public Schools CEO Paul Vallas has announced he is running for mayor of Chicago.

Vallas has been critical of Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s handling of crime and policing of the city. He ran for mayor in 2019, getting about 5% of the vote. He also ran for governor in 2002 but lost in the Democratic primary.

Man accused of setting man on fire was out on bail

A man accused of setting a homeless man on fire in an unprovoked attack was out on bail and wanted by police for violating bail conditions at the time of the alleged incident.

Joseph Guardia,27, has been charged with attempted first-degree murder and aggravated arson with bodily harm. Illinois will eliminate cash bail on Jan. 1, a move that has been highly criticized by prosecutors and law enforcement groups.

'Choose Kindness' video wins national award

The Illinois Emergency Management Agency in partnership with the University of Illinois Springfield announced that its Safe2Help Illinois Choose Kindness Video has won a national award.

The video received a silver “Telly” in the category of social video in the 43rd Annual Telly Awards. The Telly Awards receives over 12,000 entries from all 50 states and 5 continents.

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