Ottawa’s Friendship Days celebration has officially started with Wednesday night’s Welcomeburger sponsored by the Ottawa Area Chamber of Commerce. On Thursday’s schedule is the Kid’s Fishing Rodeo from 5:00 pm-7:00 pm under the north end of Veteran’s Bridge where the Fox River meets the Illinois River. Downtown merchants begin sidewalk sales, as well. Among the events on Friday is the Craft and Vendors Show from 5:00 pm to 9:00 pm in Washington Park, a presentation by the students of Gray’s School of Dance at 5:30 on the Jordan Block Stage on Main Street, and the 303 Band playing from 8:00 until 11:00 on Court Street.
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IDOT will start emergency patching work late Thursday night on the I-80 bridges over the Fox River which will require temporary lane closures. The work will start at 11:00 pm Thursday night in the eastbound lanes before moving to the westbound lanes. The bridge will be closed one side at a time during the patching. A posted detour will direct the overnight traffic to use Illinois 23 and Illinois 71. The work should be completed early in the daylight hours on Friday. Meantime, the scheduled $3-million-dollar bridge deck repair will continue until late fall with lane closures. Illinois State Police urges drivers to be aware of the posted work zone speed limits and, for local drivers, avoid using I-80 between Exits 90 and 93, if possible.
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I-80 has seen several incidents of stopped and backed-up traffic recently within and near the work zone between the Illinois 23 and Illinois 71 exits including a multi-vehicle accident on Wednesday afternoon. Illinois State Police reports several people were transported for treatment of injuries.
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Illinois is making full-day kindergarten mandatory in the state. Governor Pritzker signed a bill that requires each school board to establish a kindergarten program with full-day attendance, beginning with the 2027-28 school year. Under this measure, every district must also select a half-day program that is developmentally appropriate and provides opportunities for play-based learning. Research shows children in full-day classes show more significant reading and mathematics achievements than those in half-day classes.
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Illinois is establishing a Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Pilot Program in Will County. Governor Pritzker signed a bill that will require an intake coordinator for Will County to be responsible for connecting grandparents raising grandchildren to relevant resources and services provided by state agencies. More than 70-thousand grandparents across the state are the primary caregivers for their grandchildren. The program will begin on January 1st.
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Tens of thousands of Illinois residents are without Medicaid health insurance beginning this month. The Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services tells the Chicago Tribune that more than 47-thousand Illinois residents have lost Medicaid since the start of August. This comes as states are asking recipients to prove they’re still eligible for the program for the first time since the state of the COVID-19 pandemic. The federal government estimates that about 700-thousand people in Illinois may lose Medicaid coverage by the time the process is complete.
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Preparations continue before the 2023 Illinois State Fair kicks off next week. Organizers today will be previewing the fair, which runs from August 10th to the 20th in Springfield. Performers include Alanis Morissette, REO Speedwagon, Alter Bridge, Tim McGraw, Maren Morris, and Nelly with Ashanti & Ja Rule.
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Lollapalooza kicks off today at Grant Park. The annual music festival runs through Sunday. The event is expected to draw hundreds of thousands of people to Chicago’s lakefront for more than 170 performances on nine stages. Tonight’s headliner is Billie Eilish, with Kendrick Lamar and The 1975 performing tomorrow night. Other headlines include Odesza, Tomorrow X Together, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Lana Del Rey.