The 217 Today Podcast

217 Today: Tuesday March 2, 2021

Brian Moline and Olivia Butts
 

Courtesy of Camp Ondessonk

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Tuesday March 2, 2021

Today headlines: 

  • Illinois has nearly 9,000 units of local government – a figure that’s long been higher than any other state in the nation. A new report is renewing the call for reducing the total number of taxing bodies statewide.

  • The University of Illinois says its covidSHIELD COVID-19 testing process has received Emergency Use Authorization from the federal Food and Drug Administration.

  • Texas is still feeling repercussions from last month’s cold snap that caused widespread power outages. In contrast, Illinois and other northern states suffered far less damage from the same winter weather.

  • State public health officials reported more than 1,100 new COVID-19 cases Monday – the lowest number of daily cases in Illinois since July. Officials also reported 20 COVID-related deaths. The state’s preliminary seven-day test positivity rate is at 2.4%.

In today's deep dive, after summer camps throughout Illinois were canceled last year because of COVID-19, leaders are hopeful they’ll get to welcome kids back this summer.

217 Today is produced by Olivia Butts. Reporting today contributed by Derek Cantu, Jim Meadows, and Jennifer Fuller.