Two Springfield residents have been arrested in connection with last month’s armed robbery at a bank in Sherman that prompted a region-wide manhunt.

42-year-old Heather Horrighs and 50-year-old Theodis Parnell were arrested Thursday, just over a month after the September 13^th holdup at Alliance Community Bank, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of Illinois.

According to a complaint filed in federal court Friday, Horrighs entered the bank carrying a box with a note attached to it. The note claimed the box had a bomb in it and demanded money. Parnell is accused of acting as an accomplice and getaway driver. Both could face 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine if convicted.

Horrighs and Parnell are currently in the custody of U.S. marshals. Detention hearings are scheduled in the coming days. The Springfield FBI, the United States Marshal’s Service, Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office and Springfield, Chatham and Sherman police departments contributed to the investigation.

Ameren-Illinois has announced a round of grants for small businesses and non-profits who have fallen behind on utility bills.

Under the company’s COVID-19 Economic Hardship Recovery Program, one-time grants of up to $500 will be provided on a first-come, first-served basis until October 31st or until funds are exhausted.

To be considered, businesses must have an active, non-residential account, 50 or fewer full-time employees, and have a principal office in Illinois. Eligible businesses may include, but are not limited to: small commercial enterprises, restaurants, and hair salons among others. Eligible non-profits may include, but are not limited to: schools, day cares, senior centers, religious organizations, community organizations, and charitable organizations.

Grant recipients will have the funds applied to their Ameren Illinois electric account. To apply, visit AmerenIllinois.com/Recovery or call the Ameren Illinois Business Center at 1-800-232-2477.

Another area hospital system is increasing its minimum wage in hopes of attracting and keeping certain workers. The Hospital Sisters Health System announced on Friday that they would be raising their minimum wage to $15 per hour, providing a wage increase to approximately 3,000 workers across their system in Wisconsin and Illinois.

HSHS is headquartered in Springfield and comprises 9 hospitals across the state, plus 183 clinics through the Prairie Heart Institute and HSHS Medical Group. The wage increase mainly applies to a number of entry level positions The minimum wage rate increase will start on October 31^st with salary increases for nearly all of the system’s 13,000 employees also slated to take effect at that time.

A West Central Illinois county was recently a part of a literacy challenge completed by the Illinois Secretary of State’s Office.

Secretary of State Jesse White’s Office announced that the Illinois Literacy Foundation recently completed the 10 Ton Challenge initiative by providing a book to every public schoolchild in the 10 lowest per capita income counties in Illinois.

The project concluded last month with 39 school districts receiving a total of over 26,000 books to share with enrolled students. These were given to students to take home and keep. Brown County was one of the ten counties who fell under the umbrella of the program.

White says the program hopes to provide access to literacy, library services, and a path for lifelong learning for students in the state.

One of the state’s largest insurance companies and one of Central Illinois’ largest health care providers are still at a rift about in-network coverage.

According to the State Journal-Register, Springfield Clinic sent letters and emails to about 100,000 Blue Cross-Blue Shield of Illinois covered patients who could lose access to their Springfield Clinic doctors on November 17^th. The letters criticized BCBS’ record profits earned during the COVID-19 pandemic and said it would adversely impact out-of-pocket medical costs for BCBS patients.

The two entities have been in dispute for half the year over reimbursement rates. Springfield Clinic says on their website that they do not anticipate a resolution with the insurance provider by the November 17^th deadline. Clinic officials indicated on the website that contract terms backed by Blue Cross would hurt the clinic financially and make it harder to attract and retain doctors, especially specialists, in central Illinois.

Springfield Clinic officials say in their letter that Blue Cross members are encouraged to consider “self-pay” options and contact the clinic’s patient advocacy center at (217) 391-7086 for assistance.

Officials said patients can continue to see their clinic doctors using out-of-network benefits or contact their employers’ benefit-plan administrators to determine whether they can switch plans and still see clinic providers on an in-network basis.

Patients can call Blue Cross to determine whether their ongoing treatment, for conditions such as pregnancy and cancer, qualifies for “continuity of care” coverage at the same rates after Nov. 17.

Plans not impacted by the rift are Blue Cross-Blue Shield supported Medicare and Medicaid coverage.

Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker is hoping the General Assembly will close a loophole in state law aimed at his school employee vaccine executive order.

Illinois school staff is required to be vaccinated against COVID-19 or get tested for the virus each week.

Several school districts are being sued by staff saying that the mandate violates the 1998 Health Care Right of Conscience Act, or the HCRCA. The law prohibits all forms of discrimination for anyone refusing to act contrary to their conscience or conscientious convictions in engaging in medical care.

Jacksonville School District 117 Superintendent Steve Ptacek raised questions to the Illinois State Board of Education about enforcement of the order last month. Ptacek believes that through the enforcement the state’s school districts will end up being sued and ultimately bankrupt school finances due to numerous legal challenges. Ptacek has yet to receive a response from ISBE or the Governor’s Office.

On What’s On Your Mind on Friday, State Senator Steve McClure he doesn’t support amending the law during the shortened veto session: “First of all, the vaccines should be a local decision, so local school boards, businesses – that should all be done at the local level. I am not a fan of the state, the governor, or whomever else mandating everyone do this or everyone do that. To me, the locals should make the decision. If the governor makes the decision, a parent really can’t go talk to the governor, but if it’s the local school board the decision, these parents can go meet with the school board and students can testify at these meetings, teachers, and parents. That’s why these decisions are best left up to the locals to do. I don’t agree with trying to change any laws, particularly when you’ve got religious exemptions available for people that have genuine, sincerely held, religious beliefs as to why they don’t want particular medical treatments. I think to not protect religious freedoms in this country by drastically changing this law in a very shortened veto session where you don’t really have time to discuss it properly, I think that’s the wrong thing to do. I’m against doing that.”

Ptacek told WICS Newschannel 20 last week that he hopes that there is clarification on the mandate sooner rather than waiting on a Spring General Assembly session discussion and vote. The General Assembly returns to Springfield today.

A St. Louis Pipeline Company asking a stay from the Supreme Court to remain in operation has had that request rejected.

Chief Justice John Roberts has rejected a Supreme Court stay request from the Spire STL Pipeline to allow it to stay in operation.

Roberts did not comment Friday in refusing to temporarily pause a lower court order affecting the operation of the pipeline. Roberts handles emergency appeals to the Supreme Court in cases arising in the federal courts in Washington, D.C.

The company could be forced to stop operating the pipeline on Dec. 13 unless the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission extends an emergency order granted in September.

President of Spire, Scott Smith, said in a released statement that the company was disappointed in the decision and worried it would disrupt service for its customers in the St. Louis area in the middle of winter.

Smith said Spire “retains the ability to return to the Supreme Court for emergency relief if new developments further threaten its ability to serve its customers.”

The 65-mile pipeline extends from Scott County to the north, through Greene and portions of Jersey County to the Metro East.

Governor J.B. Pritzker and his wife M.K. released a portion of their tax returns on Friday.

According to the release, Pritzker and his wife claimed a total income of just over $5.1 million in 2020, and claimed just over $2.9 million in tax deductions.

According to the forms, the Pritzkers paid $529,104 in federal income tax and $252,349 in state income tax.

Governor Pritzker’s campaign says “trusts benefiting J.B. Pritzker paid $16.3 million in Illinois taxes and $69.6 million in federal taxes.” No returns or paperwork about the trusts were revealed in the release.

Pritzker only released the cover pages of his tax returns in the announcement today.

The Illinois Department of Public Health has updated guidance on defining outbreaks in schools, placing it in line with the CDC.

The CDC and IDPH have adopted the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists’ guidance for school-associated outbreaks. According to the guidance, the new national recommendation defines a school outbreak as either (1) multiple cases comprising at least 10% of students, teachers, or staff within a core group or (2) at least three cases within a specified core group. A core group means only those individuals who were together during an exposure period. For example, this could be limited to a classroom, a sports team, before/after school care, performing arts, or other groups and likely does not apply to the entire school population.

To be considered part of an outbreak in a school, cases must meet the criteria for a probable or confirmed school-associated case with a positive test result, or the start of symptoms within 14 days of each other. These individuals are identified to be close contacts with each other while in the school setting and not another setting outside of school. The cases must also be epidemiologically linked to the school setting or extracurricular activity, meaning they were at the same place at the same time.

Masks continue to be required to be worn in schools by students, staff, and visitors.

Previously, the CDC recommended that two cases associated with a school would constitute an outbreak.

Under this new guidance, Jacksonville High School will no longer be listed under an outbreak for reporting purposes.

Illinois’ Redistricting Committees have released their version of Congressional maps today.

The proposal has the entire listening area under the new 16^th legislative district. The new district would draw together Darin LaHood, whose home in Dunlap, and current 15th District Congresswoman Mary Miller, who resides in Oakland. The new district also would not include Rodney Davis, whose Taylorville home would be drawn into the new 15^th District that shifts east. Davis would be drawn together with Mike Bost.

The maps can be viewed at this link.

The maps are expected to be voted on during the General Assembly veto session next week.