Quick hits: Illinois news in brief for Thursday, Dec. 2, 2021
Illinois man recovers after taking ivermectin
After getting two court orders against a hospital in Naperville to allow a doctor to prescribe and administer ivermectin to treat COVID-19, the father of Man Kwan Ng is recovering at home.
Ng tells WMAY after her father Sun Ng got several doses of the drug, he was able to pass breathing tests to get off a ventilator and was discharged this week.
The FDA does not recognize ivermectin as a treatment for COVID-19.
$94 million announced for airports around Illinois from ‘Rebuild’ tax increases
Airports across the state are set to share in $94 million thanks to tax and fee increases implemented several years ago.
Lawmakers doubled the state’s gas tax and raised other fees related to driving, along with expanded gambling, in 2019 with revenue going toward a multi-year, $45 billion infrastructure bill.
A total of $150 million from the program is expected for the state’s airports.
Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site launches augmented reality experience
Visitors to Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site in Collinsville will get to experience the site with augmented reality.
The AR application announced this week took five years to develop and provides visitors a new interpretive experience using a smartphone.
The application is only available with Apple products, but an Android version is coming soon.
IDPH on watch for omicron variant
With the first case of the COVID-19 omicron variant discovered in the United States, the Illinois Department of Public Health says it’s just a matter of time before it shows up in the Land of Lincoln.
The department said on social media it continues to perform sequencing to identify the variant and once a case is discovered, it will be disclosed.
State’s ‘Freedom Ranking’ drops a notch
After trending upward over several years, Illinois’ Freedom Ranking from the Cato Institute dropped a notch, but it’s still higher than it was in 2016.
The rankings for Illinois in 2000 was No. 31, but it dropped to No 44 by 2003. Illinois had its worst rating of No. 48 in 2011 and rebounded to No. 36 in 2018.
The state now stands at No. 37. The report says a big problem is taxes in Illinois are among the worst in the country.
Landmarks Illinois taking nominations for endangered historic places
Landmarks Illinois, a statewide historic preservation advocacy organization, is now accepting nominations for its 2022 Most Endangered Historic Places in Illinois.
Officials said nominated sites must be valued by residents, or celebrate local history or culture.
Since the Most Endangered program began in 1995, more than 100 previously “Most Endangered” designated sites have been saved from demolition or stabilized.
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