Politics & Government
Quick Hits: Illinois News In Brief For Nov. 23
Illinois Department of Public Health Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike said hospitals are asked to only report beds they're ready to staff.
Expert says bed count change makes sense
An expert on healthcare policy says the state’s change of how it tracks available hospital beds makes sense. But Goldwater Institute Director of Healthcare Policy said the definition should have been implemented earlier in the pandemic.
Find out what's happening in Across Illinoisfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
On Friday, eight months into the pandemic, Illinois Department of Public Health Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike said they recently asked hospitals to only report beds they’re ready to staff, not aspirational numbers.
Madigan says he still plans to seek another term as House Speaker
Find out what's happening in Across Illinoisfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan says he continues to have “support from a significant number of House Democratic caucus members.”
He did not indicate he has the 60 votes needed. More Democrats have said they won’t support the speaker for another term.
Longtime politics observer Kent Redfield said the drama could be a “circus,” with multiple rounds of ballots without immediate resolution.
Senate to hold public hearing Tuesday
The first public hearing of how Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s handling of COVID-19 is set for Tuesday.
The virtual Illinois Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee will look at policies and procedures at the LaSalle Veterans’ Home.
State Sen. Paul Schimpf said in two weeks' time 24 of the facility's 124 residents died and lawmakers need to get to the bottom of the issue.
Illinois removes thousands of available hospital beds from state COVID-19 database
The Pritzker administration changed the way the state counts available hospital beds, a move that led to the elimination of more than 2,000 available beds statewide from the overall total.
When asked about the number fluctuation Friday, Illinois Department of Public Health Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike said they recently asked hospitals to update how they report available beds to only include those they’re ready to staff.
That led to more than 2,000 hospital beds and nearly 500 ICU beds being removed from the state's charts tracking COVID-19 trends.
Sangamon County reissues licenses for three of four restaurants
Public health officials in Sangamon County reissued food licenses for three of four restaurants they closed last week for not complying with the indoor service prohibition.
The remaining restaurant, Fox Run, has a hearing set for Dec. 3.
In Kane County, Fox Fire restaurant is bracing for measures the city of Geneva is considering Monday evening to punish businesses that don’t comply.
Man gets probation for threatening U.S. Congressman
A man who threatened a central Illinois U.S. Congressman in a voicemail message has been sentenced to two years probation.
He must also get mental health counseling and treatment. Randall Tarr of Rochester pleaded guilty this summer to making a threatening phone call to Taylorville Republican U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis in November of 2019.
Tarr was sentenced Friday.
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