A new model is cautiously optimistic about a university’s ability to control the spread of COVID-19 this fall—but that hinges largely on how much students socialize off-campus.

The Seizure Smart School Act, is a new law in Illinois that requires schools to train employees and care aides on how to handle students with epilepsy, and how to administer their medications.

Epilepsy is a neurological disorder in which the brain activity becomes abnormal, causing seizures or periods of unusual behavior, sensations, and sometimes loss of awareness. It is the fourth most common neurological disorder in the country.

According to new quarterly crop data from the USDA, farmers planted about 92 million acres of corn this spring, a 5 million acre decrease over the agency's March acreage report. The decrease could slash this season’s corn harvest by around a billion bushels, providing some much-needed price increases for commodity farmers. 

A Clay County judge ruled today Governor J-B Pritzker had no authority to issue multiple Executive Orders to keep the State of Illinois locked down during the COVID-19 pandemic.

July 1 marks the start of a new fiscal year in Illinois.  It also means several new laws take effect.  Here is a rundown of some of those:

Minimum Wage

The minimum wage is going up in the state.  Workers across most of Illinois will see a boost in their pay to $10 per hour. That is up .75 cents from the bump they received the first of the year.  Those making minimum wage will continue to see annual hikes of a buck per hour each January until the hourly minimum hits $15.