Metro East

The Madison County circuit court has allowed landlords to file hundreds of eviction cases despite an order from the governor banning filings during the coronavirus pandemic. The decision to continue eviction cases in the county has left renters confused and frustrated after thinking they were safe from official filings.

The decisions of some Metro East restaurant owners to resume indoor service flies in the face of coronavirus guidelines from public health experts.

Metro East organizations working to get their communities counted by the 2020 census are watching a California lawsuit that may push the national headcount back to its original end date in October.

The coronavirus pandemic has changed how most retail businesses in the St. Louis region operate. Businesses face limits on how many people can be inside their buildings. And stores across the region are adapting to mask mandates, social distancing measures and sanitizing routines.

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker imposes new restrictions as COVID-19 cases continue to rise across the state.

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker will extend the state’s ban on evictions for another 30 days, his office said Friday. The new moratorium will now expire on Sept. 22 instead of Saturday.

Madison County will distribute $1.7 million to small businesses that were hit especially hard by stay-at-home orders earlier this year because of the coronavirus pandemic. The main goal of the funding is to help small businesses cover existing or new costs that were caused by the pandemic.

As a resurgence of coronavirus slams southern Illinois, Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced Friday his office will file an emergency rule that would allow local authorities to enforce mask requirements to prevent the spread of the disease.

The coronavirus lockdowns in Illinois came just as Fairmount Park Racetrack was set to start the 2020 horse racing season in March.The racetrack was shuttered until June, when Illinois allowed live horse races to resume at tracks around the state with one caveat: no spectators.

Illinois will distribute $31.5 million in grants over the next year to local nonprofits, faith- or community-based organizations and governmental bodies to address issues in historically underserved parts of the state.The money for these grants comes from 25% of the tax revenue the state collects from recreational marijuana sales.