By JERRY NOWICKI Capitol News Illinois SPRINGFIELD – The state’s rolling seven-day average COVID-19 test positivity rate decreased by a half point Tuesday to 10.4 percent as hospitalizations continued to show signs of leveling, but officials urged caution ahead of the holiday weekend. The 6,134…

By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois SPRINGFIELD – The first shipment of COVID-19 vaccines to the state of Illinois may be less than one-quarter of what officials had originally been told to expect. Department of Public Health Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike said Tuesday that the latest word from…

By SARAH MANSUR Capitol News Illinois SPRINGFIELD — After Pfizer submitted its application for a COVID-19 vaccine to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration last week, Illinois public health officials have continued preparing locations to store and distribute the vaccine that could be released to…

    David Frederick Weishaar, 82, of Beardstown, died Saturday, Nov. 21, 2020, at Heritage Health in Beardstown.       Cremation rites have been accorded and there will be no services. Colwell Memorial Home in Beardstown is in charge of arrangements.    

By JERRY NOWICKI Capitol News Illinois SPRINGFIELD – The statewide COVID-19 case positivity rate dipped to 10.9 percent Monday on a seven-day rolling average, marking three straight days of decreases which put it at 2.3 percentage points below a Nov. 13 second-wave high. The state reported 8,322…

By PETER HANCOCK, Capitol News Illinois    SPRINGFIELD – Gov. JB Pritzker warned Monday of another looming economic crisis for the state and nation if Congress does not act soon to reauthorize extended unemployment benefits for people displaced from their jobs due to the COVID-19 pandemic.    “I…

    William “Leon” Borrowman, 60, of Beardstown died Thursday, Nov. 19, 2020, at Heritage Health in Beardstown.     He was born Oct. 12, 1960, in Louisiana, MO, the son of William Leo and Juanita Battershell Borrowman.     He is survived by one son, Cody Borrowman of Ft. Mohave, AZ; two step-…

    Donna Dorene Thurman, 91, of Beardstown died Sunday, Nov. 22, 2020, at Heritage Health in Beardstown. Private family services will be held with burial in the Beardstown City Cemetery. An informal visitation will be held from 9-11 a.m. Saturday at Colwell Memorial Home in Beardstown.

    Lois Darlene Warden, 90, of Beardstown passed away Friday, Nov. 20, 2020, at Heritage Health in Beardstown.     She was born Oct. 4, 1930, in Beardstown, the daughter of James and Mary Goodin Warden.     She is survived by one sister, Elizabeth Joann (deceased husband, Harry) Thurman of…

By JERRY NOWICKI, Capitol News Illinois    SPRINGFIELD – The state reported another 126 COVID-19-related deaths Friday as Tier 3 mitigations took effect statewide and virus-related hospitalizations continued to increase.    That brought the death toll since the pandemic began to 11,304 out of 634,…