Quick hits: Illinois news in brief for Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2021

Backlog of Illinois gun owner applications persists as U.S. court case continues

The Illinois State Rifle Association says the Pritzker administration is operating outside of state law with continued delays in processing Firearm Owner Identification Card and Concealed Carry License applications.

The average wait for both is around 122 days when it’s only supposed to take 30 days for FOID and 90 days for CCL.

ISP said as of Jan. 19, there were 175,751 new FOID applications and 25,518 CCL backlogged.

Hy-Vee partners with state to provide COVID-19 vaccine

Grocer Hy-Vee is partnering with state public health officials to provide the COVID-19 vaccine.

Sixteen Hy-Vee locations across the state, including Springfield, Bloomington, Moline, Peoria, Galesburg and elsewhere, begin today by appointment.

The state is also partnering with Walgreens and Jewel-Osco pharmacies across the state to provide the vaccine.

Mobile testing continues throughout Illinois

Mobile COVID-19 testing continues today and tomorrow in Princeton at the Bureau County Health Department.

Free COVID-19 tests will also be performed by state public health teams in Aledo at the Mercer County Health Department, the Decatur Civic Center, the Vermillion County Health Department in Danville and the First United Methodist Church in Rushville.

Illinois House cancels all but one session day for February

The Illinois House has canceled all but one session day for next month.

In a one-page memo, House Speaker Chris Welch canceled all days except Feb. 10. That’s when members could return to the capitol building, not the Bank of Springfield Convention Center, to possibly vote on the House rules.

The Illinois Senate’s next scheduled day is Feb. 9.

It’s unclear how the governor’s Feb. 17 State of the State and Budget Address will be handled amid COVID-19 concerns.

Illinois tax filings to start

Tax filers can begin filing state tax returns to the Illinois Department of Revenue on Feb. 12.

That’s the same day they can also file with the IRS. A filer filing an error-free return electronically could have a refund, if they’re owed one, directly deposited within four to six weeks.

The state says of more than 6.4 million returns filed last year, 63 percent received refunds. More information can be found at MyTax.Illinois.gov.

Metro East remains under tighter COVID-19 restrictions

Only one region of the state, the Metro East St. Louis region, can’t have indoor service, per Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s COVID-19 plan. As of Tuesday afternoon, Region 4 was still in Phase 4 Tier 2.

The rest of the state can have either 25 percent or 50 percent indoor dining, depending on the region’s COVID-19 metrics.

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