Latest news with #Illinoisans
Time of India
4 days ago
- Health
- Time of India
Mosquitoes test positive for the fatal West Nile virus, health officials advise precautions
Image credits: Getty Images Health officials have been tooting the precautionary horn after a batch of mosquitoes tested positive for the West Nile virus. In late June, the Will County Health Department announced that a batch of mosquitoes in the city of Joliet, around 40 miles southwest of Chicago, tested positive for West Nile virus. As per the Illinois Department of Public Health data, mosquito-borne illness had already been found in 22 of the state's counties. Health officials in Chicago issued a similar warning a few weeks earlier, as a batch of mosquitoes there tested positive for the virus. "With mosquito season underway in Illinois, it is now time for Illinoisans, especially seniors and those with weakened immune systems, to start taking precautions to prevent mosquito bites," said IDPH Director Dr. Sameer Vohra, according to Patch. Why should you be concerned? Image credits: Getty Images West Nile virus is an illness that spreads through mosquito bites. It can cause symptoms such as fever, headache, body aches, vomiting, diarrhea, and rash, as per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Along with infections, however, it can also be fatal, as it caused 69 human cases in Illinois in 2024 with 13 deaths, as per IDPH. The virus has been in the U.S. since 1999; however, with the increasing temperatures, mosquitoes are not only increasing in numbers, but also in range, being active for longer seasons and moving into higher altitudes. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like IQ Worldwide - Test your Intelligence, know your IQ Score Try Now Undo What's being done about the illness? Image credits: Getty Images The IDPH is encouraging people to "fight the bite" to avoid contracting the virus. Eliminating standing water, using screens on windows or doors and keeping them shut, wearing long clothing and using an Environmental Protection Agency-registered insect repellent when outdoors, are some suggested precautionary measures. There have also been community efforts to reduce mosquito populations. For instance, officials in one Florida county are using X-rays to kill invasive mosquitoes, and a Manila neighbourhood is paying residents to bring in any mosquitoes they can capture.
Time Out
22-07-2025
- Lifestyle
- Time Out
Two of the best malls in America are located in the Chicago suburbs, per new ranking
Remember when your mom would drop you off at the mall all day with only a five spot in your pocket? You can act out at that nostalgia at the best malls in the country, two of which are located right here in the Chicago suburbs—or so says a new readers' choice report from USA Today. The outlet recently released its Readers' Choice Awards 2025 for a variety of shopping experiences and destinations throughout the country—a panel of travel experts nominated their top picks from hundreds of available choices, and then they handed the list over to readers so they could pick the winners. And it turns out that Illinoisans still love to shop in person. In the ' Best Shopping Center ' category—which focuses on malls that are not only enjoyable, clean, and safe environments, but also important community gathering spaces—Oakbrook Center in Oakbrook, IL was awarded the fourth-place spot for its lovely open-air shopping experience full of green spaces, art installations, chef-driven dining establishments and more than 170 prosperous stores. Plus, the mall has plenty of seasonal events to keep Chicagoans busy connected and engaged all year. Oakbrook was joined on the list by The Shops at La Cantera in San Antonio, TX (at No. 1), Peddler's Village in Lahaska, PA (in second place) and Ala Moana Center in Honolulu, HI, rounding out the top three. And in the ' Best Outlet Mall ' ranking, Massachusetts and New Jersey malls took the gold and silver, but Fashion Outlets of Chicago in Rosemont, Illinois took home the Bronze. This two-level indoor shopping center has plenty of designer outlets and name brands to choose from, as well as dining options and a fun atmosphere filled with interesting art.
Chicago Tribune
21-07-2025
- Business
- Chicago Tribune
Timothy J. Cavanagh: Illinois toxic tort law would prevent out-of-state companies from evading accountability
Every Illinoisan deserves to live and work in a safe environment free from hazardous, life-threatening conditions. Yet when our residents travel to other states, they may face repeated exposure to asbestos or other highly toxic substances and be vulnerable to serious illness if they were not provided proper protective clothing and breathing equipment. Out-of-state companies too often escape accountability for exposing individuals to dangerous materials, leaving them to suffer devastating health consequences with little legal recourse short of the expensive, time-consuming and impractical option of pursuing lawsuits in those other states. A bill, SB328, recently passed by the General Assembly and now under Gov. JB Pritzker's consideration, solves that dilemma by permitting a person filing a case in an Illinois court to include out-of-state companies as defendants. By strengthening the ability of Illinois residents to seek justice against all responsible parties, this legislation would help promote healthier, safer working conditions by putting businesses, regardless of where they are headquartered, on notice that they are responsible for protecting Illinoisans from preventable harms. To be clear, this legislation applies in relatively limited circumstances. SB328 does not expose Illinois-based businesses to litigation to which they are not already subject under current law. To involve companies not located in the state, but doing business here, a plaintiff must first file a case in Illinois against at least one defendant that would be subject to the specific jurisdiction of an Illinois court. Only then, contingent upon a judge's approval, could other relevant out-of-state businesses be added to the case. Additionally, this legislation pertains only to toxic substances as defined by the Illinois Uniform Hazardous Substances Act. One such example familiar to most people would be asbestos, because of its sad and long history in our country of sickening hundreds of thousands of people and condemning them to prolonged and painful deaths. If you've seen the suffering caused by the careless use of asbestos up close, you would understand why it is important to send a strong message that companies using toxic substances need to take sufficient care to protect people from being harmed by them. And, if they fail to do so, they deserve significant financial punishment to deter them and others from persisting in unsafe practices. The fearmongering from Illinois business organizations about the bill borders on hysteria. Despite what they say, prescription drugs, baby formula, beverages and food products are not a part of the bill for the simple reason they aren't made with highly toxic ingredients. Opponents also say New York rejected the same bill. Not true. New York's was far more expansive and, beyond businesses, included nonprofits and governmental entities. Finally, those against the bill argue it would make Illinois an outlier. But, in reality, other states have laws that say anyone transacting business in them consents to the jurisdiction of their courts. Pennsylvania already has a far broader toxic tort law than what is proposed in Illinois, and I have yet to see any news coverage about the cessation of business in the Steel City, the City of Brotherly Love or all the many towns between the two. Opposition from Illinois corporate associations to this legislation is puzzling, since it actually levels the playing field for Illinois companies by holding those from out of state to the same standard as applies to those that are based here. The bill's merits are attested to by the diversity of its supporters, which include dozens of trade and service unions represented by the Illinois AFL-CIO; the multitude of local and national environmental organizations that work collaboratively through the Illinois Environmental Council; and Citizen Action, the state's largest public interest organization that advocates for policies to protect the health and well-being of all Illinoisans. By reinforcing corporate accountability, this bill complements Illinois' ongoing efforts to strengthen environmental protections and public health safeguards. It sends a clear message and commonsense message: Companies that profit from doing business here must accept the responsibility of protecting the people and environment they impact. With the Donald Trump administration choosing to stop enforcing various environmental protections and, shockingly, reconsidering the ban on cancer-causing asbestos put in place by the previous administration, it is vital that states step into the breach. Pritzker's signature on SB328 will send a clear message that Illinois is leaving no stone unturned when it comes to protecting the public's health. Timothy J. Cavanagh is founder of Cavanagh Sorich Law Group in Chicago and president of the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association.
Chicago Tribune
21-07-2025
- Politics
- Chicago Tribune
Chicago activists urge Pritzker to pass law to make polluters pay for climate change damages
Young climate activists from Chicago called on Gov. JB Pritzker to enact legislation that would make the fossil fuel industry — instead of taxpayers — responsible for funding green, resilient infrastructure and disaster response in the face of climate change, following similar bills recently passed in Vermont and New York. 'Illinois can and must do the same,' said Oscar Sanchez, co-executive director of the Southeast Environmental Task Force, at a Sunday rally. 'Kids get asthma before they learn to ride a bike. Cancer becomes a ZIP code issue. Our elders breathe toxic poison in their own home,' he said. 'It's not just the pollution, it's the climate crisis bearing down on us right now. We see streets turn into rivers after storms, basements flood, families lose everything. Meanwhile, oil and gas companies — the same ones fueling this crisis — are posting record-breaking profits.' The group, a coalition led by the local Sunrise Movement chapter, gathered across the University of Chicago's David Rubenstein event venue in Woodlawn, where the Aspen Ideas Climate Conference officially kicked off Sunday afternoon with hundreds of leaders from business, government, academia and other fields. Pritzker was set to discuss green tech and infrastructure investments; also invited were Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy, who were expected to talk about their approaches to energy and economic development. Some of the young activists praised Pritzker for his commitment to climate issues and said he has an opportunity to demonstrate that by standing with Illinoisans and holding corporate polluters accountable. Passing a 'Make Polluters Pay' law, they say, would make these companies responsible for the public health and climate change impacts in Illinois that are a direct result of their activities. In Chicago, for instance, such legislation would help address what activists have long protested as discriminatory zoning practices, which have pushed heavy industry into poor communities of color — exposing residents to toxic chemicals and pollutants and leading to a higher prevalence of negative health effects in the population, including cardiovascular and respiratory disease. 'We know what environmental racism looks like, because we live it every single day,' Sanchez said. Some primarily Black and Hispanic neighborhoods and suburbs, like Chatham, Austin, Cicero and Berwyn, also experience severe flooding during heavy rains. 'If I'm going to be honest with everyone, I don't like being here. Because this shouldn't have to be our reality — that polluters are polluting Black, Latino, working-class communities across Chicago and Illinois,' said Gianna Guiffra, a Sunrise Movement volunteer. 'We shouldn't have to be protesting simply to tell them that we are human beings too. These big oil and gas companies make it very clear to everyone that they are choosing profit over life, that they are choosing profit over human beings, that they are choosing profit over our planet.' In 2024, Vermont became the first state to require oil companies to pay for damages from extreme weather driven by climate change, after catastrophic flooding that summer. Later last year, New York also passed its own Climate Change Superfund Act, which would raise $75 billion over 25 years from the fossil fuel industry to fund climate change adaptation and mitigation projects in the state. 'These polluters should pay for the damage they have done to our communities,' Guiffra said. Following suit, the activists say, means Pritzker would be standing up to the Trump administration, which has made 250 million acres of federal public land eligible for sale to the highest bidder, led regulatory rollbacks on polluters, and cut tax incentive programs for renewable energy projects. 'This could be the ground zero of a mass movement that puts the billionaires in check, takes power back for the people and guarantees hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of good, clean energy jobs,' said Sage Hanson, a Sunrise Movement volunteer.
Chicago Tribune
20-07-2025
- General
- Chicago Tribune
Snapshot of food insecurity in Illinois and the U.S.
Before July 4, food insecurity was already a growing issue across the United States. Here are some of the reasons why: The legislation expanded work requirements for SNAP recipients in the following categories who were previously exempt: If SNAP recipients in those categories don't find 80 hours of work per month, they will lose their benefits. Nearly 2 million Illinoisans were using SNAP benefits in 2024 — 15.7% of the state for the seventh-highest percentage in the nation, the Illinois Policy Institute reported. SNAP recipients are not the only ones in need of food assistance, though. Mike Havala, president and CEO of the Naperville-based nonprofit Loaves & Fishes Community Services, explained the 'SNAP gap' at a roundtable event in Geneva earlier this month. Here's the idea: Many people in the 'SNAP gap' and on SNAP benefits depend on food pantries to supplement the limited food they can afford. Because of the 'Big, Beautiful Bill,' even more people will need help from nonprofit food banks and pantries.
