CHICAGO (WICS/WRSP) — Governor JB Pritzker, D-Illinois, released his plan on reopening Illinois.

The five-phase plan, deemed Restore Illinois, will be focused on "saving lives, livelihood, and safely reopening Illinois."

"We have to figure out how to live with COVID-19 until it can be vanquished – and to do so in a way that best supports our residents’ health and our healthcare systems, and saves the most lives," said Governor JB Pritzker. "Restore Illinois is a public health plan to safely reintroduce the parts of our lives that have been put on hold in our fight against COVID-19. This is also a data-driven plan that operates on a region-by-region basis, a recognition that reality on the ground looks different in different areas of our state."

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SPRINGFIELD (WSIL) - Illinois Democrats are introducing a proposal to cancel rent and mortgage payments for 180 days to help those hardest hit during the COVID-19 pandemic. The lawmakers say this is crucial, as "housing is healthcare."

The COVID-19 Emergency Renter and Homeowner Protection Act would ban evictions and block foreclosures for six months after Gov. JB Pritzker's stay-at-home order ends.

Rep. Delia Ramirez (D-Chicago) says many are suffering from sudden and unexpected loss of income. She found 27% of Illinoisans weren't able to pay their rent in April. "This is why we understand that, particularly during this pandemic, black and brown families across this state are especially burdened and impacted during this moment as it pertains to housing."

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CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development announced Monday the allocation of a third wave in CARES Act coronavirus relief funding.  

This wave totaling $1 billion is through the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program and includes nearly $39.3 million to Illinois. To date, HUD has provided over $3 billion in CDBG funding nationwide to help communities acutely combat coronavirus and alleviate economic hardship.

“Coronavirus has impacted our communities and populations in unprecedented ways, and while some begin to see a decline in reported cases, others continue to fight this invisible enemy aggressively,” said Secretary Ben Carson, in a statement. “This funding will afford states the ability to respond to the unique circumstances they are facing – from reducing risk of transmission to regaining the sound footing of their economy. This is the third wave of funding the Department has provided to States and insular areas, and we will continue to execute a detailed and swift response until the days of COVID-19 are behind us.”

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SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WICS/WRSP) — The Illinois Chamber of Commerce introduced legislation to expedite the reopening of Illinois businesses in the safest, most equitable way possible.

Senate Bill 3993, sponsored by Senate Republican Leader Bill Brady, R-Bloomington, directs the Illinois Department of Public Health to establish Safe Place of Business (SPB) protocols on or before May 30. This would provide guidance to businesses and allow them to reopen once the protocols are met.

The protocols include customer density limits based on the facility's square footage. Also included in the protocols are face covering requirements for all employees, appropriate social distancing, and regular cleaning regimens.

These protocols may vary based on the amount of COVID-19 cases in the business' region.

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CHICAGO (WICS/WRSP) — Illinois is inching closer to fully reopening.

Governor JB Pritzker, D-Illinois, announced on Tuesday that all four health regions in Illinois are on track to move on to phase 3 of the state's Restore Illinois plan.

The five-phase plan is based on regional healthcare availability and the distinct impact COVID-19 has had on different regions of our state as well as regional variations in hospital capacity. IDPH has 11 Emergency Medical Services Regions that have traditionally guided its statewide public health work.

For the purposes of Restore Illinois, from those 11, four health regions are established, each with the ability to independently move through a phased approach: Northeast Illinois; North-Central Illinois; Central Illinois; and Southern Illinois.

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U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis (R-Ill.) today announced that the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has awarded CARES Act funding for Illinois public housing authorities in the amount of $1,967,703, including three awards in Illinois' 13th congressional district. The funding comes through the CARES Act, which Congressman Davis voted for and President Trump signed into law in March. The CARES Act Mainstream Housing Choice Voucher Program funds are to support public housing agencies as they provide affordable housing to non-elderly people living with disabilities.

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Coronavirus has turned the world upside down. And with it, travel is changing before our eyes.

From flights to cruise lines, travel has largely ground to a halt as the world tries to get a handle on a virus that has sickened 4.2 million people and counting. We’re all pining for the days of normal travel.

But when will that be? What will normal look like? Has travel changed forever?

‘Normal’ Won’t Return for a Long Time

As painful as air travel can be, with cramped seats and seemingly endless fees, we may all be wishing for those days soon. Just don’t bet on it.

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Evanston/Skokie School District 65 and Evanston Township High School District 202 are slated to receive a total of $1.1 million in federal funding as part of the coronavirus stimulus bill. Local child care programs and businesses will also receive benefits.

Illinois will receive $4.9 billion in COVID-19 assistance for state and local governments. The Illinois state government is set to receive $2.7 billion from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act, and $2.2 billion from the act will benefit local governments statewide. The CARES Act, officially signed into law on March 27, allocates two trillion dollars nationwide for COVID-19 relief.

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MT. VERNON, Ill. (WICS/WRSP) — The State of Illinois has activated an alternate housing facility in Jefferson County.

This comes after a request from the local government to help with a recent spike in positive COVID-19 cases, including more than 17 linked to a long-term care facility.

The pre-staged alternate care facility will be a place where people can go to isolate or quarantine in order to not expose others in their homes.

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Representatives from Macoupin Housing Services (MHS) and the Macoupin County Housing Authority (MCHA) cut the ribbons on three tax credit housing developments in the county at ceremonies held Sept. 23.

Home tours were available to area residents and local dignitaries at the 14 homes built in Staunton, nine in Bunker Hill and 15 in Gillespie. The homes were built through a low-income housing tax credit created under the 1986 Tax Reform Act. It gives incentives for the use of private equity in the development of affordable housing aimed at low-income Americans. The program is administered at the state level through the Illinois Housing Development Authority (IHDA), which receives a fixed allocation of credits based on population.

The homes have to meet strict requirements with regard to construction standards and energy efficiency.

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