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Quick hits: Illinois news in brief for Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2021

Pritzker announces changes to COVID-19 restrictions

The state’s eleven regions in Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s plan are now in four different classes of COVID-19 mitigation.

Region 3, the central west portion of the state, leapfrogged from Tier 3 mitigation to no tiered controls.

That allowed King Pin Lanes in Springfield to open immediately with limited capacity.

Co-owner Craig Rhodes said they took to social media to announce they’re open and instantly got bowlers taking lanes.

Other areas of the state still have restrictions on indoor service.

Sports remain on pause in Illinois

One thing that wasn’t included in Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s announcement of regions of the state seeing relaxed COVID-19 mitigation is how that impacts student athletes.

Some local officials say they remain in contact with the associations that manage competitions between schools, but they have not been provided any update.

School sports have mostly been on hold for months.

Pritzker announces new hospital staffing program

Hospitals throughout the state can now utilize a staff surge program Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s administration announced Monday to help with capacity issues during COVID-19.

But, the administration warns of possible spread of a virus variant that could cause increased capacity in health facilities in the months ahead.

IBHE seeks $2.1 billion in fiscal 2022

The Illinois Board of Higher Education approved their ask for the coming state budget and they’re looking for a 4.5 percent increase.

The proposed budget for the state’s system of higher education is $2.1 billion, which is $92 million higher than the existing spending plan.

The board’s chairman John Atkinson said the increased budget is a “down payment” on a strategic plan focused on “equity, affordability and attainment.”

Federal government provides $550 million to Illinois universities

Public and private universities in Illinois received nearly $550 million in federal COVID-19 relief, according to the U.S. Department of Education.

An allocation spreadsheet shows nearly 90 institutions got federal funds ranging from $29,000 for the private non-profit Spertus College of Judaica to $47 million for the University of Illinois Chicago.

U of I Urbana-Champaign received $44.6 million.

Pritzker plans to prioritize vaccines for prison inmates

The Pritzker administration plans to prioritize COVID-19 vaccines for inmates in Illinois state prisons.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois says that recognizes the heightened risk faced by people who live in congregate settings.

The group said more than 70 prisoners have died of the virus.

Disclaimer: This content is distributed by The Center Square

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