The Illinois Senate passed a bill Wednesday to support the families of slain DCFS workers.

48th District State Senator Doris Turner of Springfield is sponsoring the measure, which treats the death of a Department of Children and Family Services case worker similar to the death of a law enforcement officer. Under current law, when a police officer is killed, their spouse and minor children are eligible to receive health insurance benefits.

Turner says that DCFS workers killed in the line of duty should also receive that benefit: “This bill will extend the Public Safety and Police Benefits Act to include DCFS workers, providing benefits to the survivors of social workers killed in the line of duty.”

The measure was inspired by last month’s stabbing death of Deidre Silas, a DCFS case worker responding to a child endangerment call in Thayer. Silas was a young mother of two at the time of her death. The measure was influenced by the death of Pamela Knight, who was beaten in Sterling while attempting to take a toddler into protective custody. Knight later died from her injuries in 2018.

Illinois lawmakers are also looking to pass a bill that would increase penalties for those who commit crimes against Illinois Department of Childhood and Family Services employees while serving in the line of duty.

Illinois Senate Republicans are offering legislation to empower the parents of school children.

One of the bills adds 5 new positions to the Illinois State Board of Education to be chosen directly by voters as opposed to being appointed by the governor. Another proposal requires districts to post all school district learning materials and curriculum that is taught in a district online for the public and parents to inspect.

47th District State Senator Jil Tracy of Quincy says another bill makes the “Invest in Kids” Scholarship program permanent to help low-income families pay for private school: “Extending the program will provide a real choice to students and their families whose future might be otherwise limited by educational resources that are not meeting their needs for whatever reasons.”

Senate Republicans say the proposals will add more transparency, equity, and accountability to the state’s education system.

Illinois Senate Democrats hosted a press conference yesterday introducing legislation aimed at helping the state’s ongoing teacher shortage crisis.

According to the Illinois State Board of Education, there are more than 4,000 unfilled positions in schools. In an attempt to address the vacancies and increase the substitute teacher pool, State Senator Meg Loughran Cappel of Shorewood introduced a plan – Senate Bill 3915 – that would waive the application fee for short-term substitute teaching licensees when the governor has declared a disaster due to a public health emergency.

Additionally, State Senator Cristina Pacione-Zayas of Chicago introduced legislation – Senate Bill 3988 – to lower the age requirement for teacher assistants from 19 to 18 for those who work in Pre-K to 8th grade classrooms.

48^th District State Senator Doris Turner of Springfield says she looks forward to these common sense reforms passing to address the teacher shortage: “I am hopeful that we can continue to work together on a common sense solution that ensures that children of Illinois retain their access to a high-quality education. Our educational system is incredibly resilient, and we see that each and every day. [My] bill will help give schools extra flexibility when managing teachers’ absences.”

Turner’s bill will allow substitute teachers to stay longer in lieu of a full-time teacher’s absence: “Senate Bill 3907 will extend the amount of days that a short-term sub can teach a class from 5 to 15 school days. This measure will buy schools an extra two weeks of time so that they can find a better long-term solution to their staffing issues.”

These bills are currently before the Senate Education committee hoping to draw votes on the floor before the close of Spring Session.

A local State Senator’s bill to allow DCFS Case Workers to carry pepper spray passed today.

State Senator Steve McClure drafted the bill after the slaying of DCFS worker Deidre Silas in Thayer last month while she was investigating a child endangerment call.

McClure says a bill like his may save a case worker’s life in the line of duty in the future: “I don’t know that this would have saved Deidre’s life, but it could have saved her life. I suspect if this passes that this will at some point save someone’s life. It allows for DCFS investigators only to have the option to carry mace if they pass a training that is put on by the Illinois State Police on how to use mace, when it is appropriate to use it, etc.”

McClure says DCFS investigators currently aren’t allowed to carry mace or pepper spray in the line of duty under state law. Another DCFS investigator, Pamela Knight, was brutally attacked while trying to take a child into protective custody. She died from her injuries in 2018. McClure has said he hopes that mace and pepper spray will act as a deterrent or even a life-saving measure for other investigators in the future to prevent tragedies like these two cases from happening again.

McClure’s bill now moves to the Illinois House for a vote.

Homeowners hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic will soon be able to apply for housing relief.

Illinois Housing Development Director Kristin Faust says applications will start in April for a program offering help: “This is for distressed homeowners due to Covid that are behind on at least one mortgage payment, and they can get up to $30,000. It will match the amount they are behind if they are eligible. This home ownership assistance is different because you can just come to IHDA directly. You have to take some steps ahead of time before you are going to be able to come to us.”

Those steps include either talking to your mortgage servicer or a HUD counselor. Homeowners can start the process by visiting illinoishousinghelp.org.

The Illinois Supreme Court has ruled in favor of Governor J.B. Pritzker’s school mask mandate.

In exercise of the Supreme Court’s supervisory authority, the court vacated Sangamon County Judge Raylene Grischow’s temporary restraining order of enforcing the school mask mandate. The Supreme Court also refused to hear Governor Pritzker’s appeal citing a 2007 court case, Felzak v. Hruby, and said “when an appeal is rendered moot through happenstance, the judgments of the courts below are vacated.”

A written dissent from Justices Michael Burke and David Overstreet is to follow.

There is no current rule on file by the Illinois Department of Public Health about requiring masks. The rule was allowed to expire after the Illinois General Assembly’s Joint Committee on Administrative Rules blocked IDPH’s rule filing last week. According to Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul’s appeal, IDPH likely will be filing the emergency rule again now that the TRO has been vacated.

Governor J.B. Pritzker issued the following statement in response to the Supreme Court’s ruling: “I’m gratified that the Supreme Court vacated the lower court’s restraining order, meaning that if a school mask mandate needs to go into effect in the future, we continue to have that authority. I’m also extremely pleased to say that because the CDC has recommended that masks are needed only in areas of high transmission, the State of Illinois will move forward to remove our school mask mandate, effective Monday. We will recommend that all school districts follow CDC guidance and will update our existing guidance in the coming days.”

Illinois Attorney Kwame Raoul added the following released statements: “We are pleased the court acted quickly to vacate the TRO, as the state requested. However, as the case is returned to the circuit court, we will continue to defend the governor’s executive orders to protect all Illinois residents and mitigate the spread of COVID-19.”

Thomas DeVore, the southern Illinois attorney bringing the lawsuit against Pritzker and over 140 school districts around the state around the mask mandate, told the Center Square that the Illinois Supreme Court ruled that Judge Raylene Grischow’s TRO was “moot” but did not rule against her legal analysis: “Even though the temporary restraining order is not in effect, [Sangamon County Circuit Court Judge Raylene Grischow’s] legal analysis is still the law of the state because neither the appellate court or the supreme court overruled her legal analysis.”

Republican Gubernatorial candidate Jesse Sullivan of Petersburg characterized Pritzker’s response as purely political: “Gov. Pritzker’s spin on today’s ruling is dizzying. It took horrible polling numbers, members of his own party voting against him and judges ruling his orders moot before he finally allowed his school mask mandate to expire. This is a victory for Illinois parents who simply want the freedom to do what is best for their children. As governor, I will fight for strict limits on executive power to make sure this extreme overreach is never allowed again, under any administration.”

Illinois is slated to end its indoor mask mandate on Monday. IDPH announced just over 13,000 new cases of Covid-19 in the state this past week. As of Thursday night, just over 1,100 people were hospitalized due to the virus around the state.

We will update this story as more information becomes available.

The MacMurray College community lost one of its most beloved figures yesterday.

Dr. Allan Metcalf passed away at the age of 81.

The retired Professor Emeritus of English “taught everything from Beowulf to Billy Budd, from journalism to linguistics, from freshman composition to language and the law,” according to his website.

His career spanned more than 45 years, until the college’s closing almost two years ago. Beyond chairing the English Department at various times throughout his tenure at MacMurray, he also served as the college’s Registrar and Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs from 2003-2012. He also founded the college’s student newspaper The Bagpipe in 1976. He served as faculty advisor to the paper until 2000.

The author of 8 books, he mostly explored his love of the origin of words in his research and writing. His most recent work was published in 2019 about Guy Fawkes and the phrase “you guys.”

Metcalf served as executive secretary of the American Dialect Society from 1981 until retiring from the position in 2018. His love for words created the society’s annual vote on Word of the Year in 1990.

He made appearances on CBS Sunday Morning and in the pages of the Chronicle of Higher Education. He lectured at various places around the country and spent time in Jerusalem for an American Studies seminar for Israeli high school teachers in 1993. He also had subsequent appearances on NPR and in TIME magazine.

Services for Metcalf are pending at Buchanan & Cody Funeral Home in Jacksonville.

Jacksonville School District 117 is changing policies on masking on its school buses.

In an email update from Superintendent Steve Ptacek this morning, Ptacek says he has received guidance from the district’s legal counsel that masks on the district’s buses should be optional. Ptacek says the reasoning behind the change is that district receives its school bus funding from the Illinois State Board of Education and not from the federal government.

Currently, the federal government requires masks on public transportation.

Ptacek says that Covid numbers remain low. Ptacek says yesterday the district had 3 total positive cases – one teacher and two students. Ptacek says after just a few weeks with the mask optional policy in the district, the district is seeing some of its lowest numbers since the pandemic began.

Ptacek says if the numbers remain low, he will consider removing social distancing protocols like assigned seating and distancing at lunch after Spring Break.

Prairieland United Way appears to be closing the gap on its shortfall of its goal for this year’s campaign.

Executive Director Karen Walker says about two weeks ago the campaign had stopped at around 80%. Walker says that as of the close of business on Wednesday the campaign had hit about 92% of its goal in a push by members over the week to close the gap.

Walker hopes that this weekend’s fundraising event at County Market will help the goal be reached or exceeded. The event kicked off yesterday with a WEAI live remote with Gary Scott and Mark Whalen. Interviews from several area non-profit organizations that receive funding through Prairieland United Way were aired on the broadcast yesterday between 1-4PM.

Walker hopes that everyone who wishes to donate can stop by and drop off donations at County Market this weekend: “We’ll have a table there. We will be accepting donations. If you are able to stop by, we would appreciate it. While the radio station won’t be there Friday and Saturday, we will still be there. Today, we will be here from 3-7PM and then on Saturday from 8AM-2PM. You’ll have the next two days to stop by and drop off your donations in person. For every $20 that’s donated, your name will be entered into a drawing for a $500 gift card donated by County Market.”

For those who cannot attend the weekend event, donations will still be accepted via Venmo or on prairielandunitedway.org.