Quick hits: Illinois news in brief for Tuesday, Feb. 2, 2021
Republicans call proposed Illinois teaching standards a political litmus test
Critics of teaching standards the Illinois State Board of Education have filed say the standards inject politics into the classroom when the state is falling behind on math and English.
The Illinois State Board of Education said the term “progressive” was taken out of the rules because it was considered political, which was not the board’s intent, it said.
If a panel of lawmakers doesn’t block the standards, they go into effect in October.
High school sports to resume with limited spectators allowed
With competitions for sports like basketball moving forward, rules from the Pritzker administration limit attendance to 25 to 50 spectators, depending on the region’s COVID-19 metrics.
That cap does not include the team, coach and staff, but it does include parents, media and cheerleaders.
Some districts are not allowing cheerleaders while others are, but they’re limiting how many and prohibiting them from chants.
Caterpillar acquires oil and gas division of Weir Group
Deerfield, Illinois, based Caterpillar Inc. announced it has completed the acquisition of the oil and gas division of Weir Group PLC.
The operations headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, has 40 service centers around the globe with around 2,000 employees.
Caterpillar said the company will continue to produce pumps, consumable parts, wellheads and pressure control products, expanding services to their consumers.
Lowest daily COVID-19 death report since November
There were just 16 COVID-19-related deaths reported by Illinois public health officials Monday. That’s the lowest since there were 14 reported in one day on Nov. 9, 2020.
The state’s COVID-19 positivity rate is 4.9 percent.
As of Monday, the state was fewer than 4,000 vaccines shy of 1 million doses administered.
Of the allocated doses for long term care residents, Illinois has administered around 31 percent.
COVID-19 testing teams will be in central Illinois
COVID-19 testing teams will be out in central Illinois this week.
On Tuesday, teams will be in Princeton at the Bureau County Health Department and in Jerseyville at the Jersey County Health Department.
On Wednesday, they’ll be at the Decatur Civic Center and in Rushville at the First United Methodist Church.
Tests are free for those submitting samples.
Region 4 remains under enhanced COVID-19 restrictions
Only one region of the state, the Metro-East St. Louis area known as Region 4 of Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s COVID-19 plan, can’t have indoor dining.
The rest of the state’s eleven regions can have either 25 to 50 percent indoor dining, depending on whether the region is in Phase 4 or Phase 4 Tier 1.
Region 4 remains in Phase 4 Tier 2 with a hospital capacity below the 20 percent threshold.
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