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Headlines from around the state. If you want more state news, listen to Illinois Public Radio s The 21st on Mondays-Thursdays at 11 a.m., and Statewide at 11 a.m. Fridays.
Regional & State News
Normal, IL, USA / www.cities929.com
May 5, 2021 | 3:14 PM
(The Center Square) – Ensuring department directors are qualified to lead a state department is one area some Republicans and Democrats say should be a focus in the aftermath of the LaSalle Veterans’ Home COVID-19 outbreak.
Members of both parties also agree on the need for more hearings into the matter. Just how soon hearings should happen is where there’s a difference.
Last fall’s deadly COVID-19 outbreak in LaSalle killed 36 residents. In total, 109 veterans and 116 employees tested positive for COVID-19.
Veterans Affairs committee chair, state Rep. Stephanie Kifowit, D-Oswego, said she plans another hearing about the inspector general report released Friday covering the state’s mishandling of the outbreak at the LaSalle Veterans’ Home.
Report: Widespread failures at LaSalle Vets Home
SARAH MANSUR
Capitol News Illinois
SPRINGFIELD A state watchdog report into the deadly COVID-19 outbreak at the LaSalle Veterans’ Home found multiple failures that contributed to 36 veterans deaths, stemming primarily from the home’s complete lack of infection prevention plans or policies.
The report also found deficiencies in communication and staff training at the LaSalle home, as well as repeated lack of compliance with personal protective equipment protocols.
The LaSalle home, one of four state-run veterans homes, had no documented COVID-19 specific policies or outbreak plan, despite the well-known risks of coronavirus transmission in places like long-term care facilities, according to the report from the Illinois Department of Human Services’ Office of the Inspector General.
BUSTOS’ EXIT AND THE REMAP DUCKWORTH’S DUCKS IN A ROW SCHOOL BOARD HEAD-TURNER
Presented by Illini for Affordable Rx
Happy Monday, Illinois. That Food and Wine magazine would rank New Jersey s pizza No. 1 is a complete abomination.
TOP TALKER
Rep. Cheri Bustos’
surprise announcement Friday that she won’t seek re-election in 2022 further endangers Democrats’ chances of holding on to the House, and it creates new intrigue into how Illinois lawmakers will redraw congressional maps.
Now in her fifth term in Congress, Bustos is a close friend and ally of House Speaker
Nancy Pelosi. The two are known to talk almost every day. So that, coupled with news that Illinois will lose one of its 18 seats in the House, chips away at Illinois clout.