WSIU Morning News Update 11-04-25

Good morning. I'm Brian Sap with WSIU News. Two people have been arrested in connection to shots being fired in Carbondale early Sunday morning. Carverdale police officers responded to the sound of gunshots near the 400 block of West Cherry Street. As officers arrived, several individuals in the area began running away. During the investigation, officers located two firearms that had been discarded and spent shell casings. As a result of the initial investigation, officers arrested 18-year-old Brandon Moore of Oklahoma for resisting and obstructing a peace officer, and 39-year-old Lenica White of Carbredale on a Valajaxon County warrant for driving whilst it licensed suspended. No injuries were reported as a result of the incident, but there was damage to an abandoned house as a result of the gunfire. Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker says he's still deciding whether he will sign a controversial piece of legislation that would allow doctors to assist terminally ill patients with ending their lives. The Illinois Senate narrowly approved the measure on Friday. Monday, J.B. Pritzker said he and his team are still evaluating the proposal, but he knows people who were in terrible pain at the end of their lives and had few options. It hits me deeply and makes me wonder about how we can alleviate the pain that they're going through. The proposal would allow Illinois doctors to prescribe life-ending medication to adults who have six months or less to live. If J.B. Pritzker signs a legislation, Illinois would join at least 10 other states that allow medical aid and dying. More than half of Democratic voters in Illinois say taxes are their number one concern. This is according to a poll released by the Illinois Policy Institute on Tuesday. According to the poll, conducted by M3 Strategies, 52% of respondents say high taxes are the biggest issue facing Illinois, followed by 26% saying the economy was their biggest concern. 929 registered voters were polled between October 8th through 10th. In a related survey, M3 Strategies asked 530 likely voters in the 2026 general election about the biggest issue facing the city of Chicago. In that poll, they say high taxes topped the list at 35%, with crime following close behind at 32%. This poll ran from October 17th through the 20th. The Illinois Policy Institute says this poll marked the first time this year Chicago's likely general election voters ranked high taxes as a bigger concern than crime. The Illinois General Assembly has passed legislation to develop its own communicable disease prevention guidelines, independent of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in order to safeguard access to vaccines and maintain evidence-based public health standards. HB767 expands the authority of the Immunization Advisory Committee within the Illinois Department of Public Health and empowers the

Director of Public Health to issue state-specific vaccine guidelines modeled after the former CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recently dismantled by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.., the Illinois Committee is being created to develop recommendations on vaccines and treatments during disease outbreaks in public health emergencies. These guidelines will be public available on the Illinois Department of Public Health website. The Illinois Housing Development Authority has earned two national awards for tackling affordable housing and homelessness challenges. At the National Council of State Housing Agency's conference, IHDA, won honors for its Access Plus Financing Initiative, which helps low-income families by homes. and for its court-based rental assistance program providing eviction prevention aid statewide. J.B. Pritzker praised the recognition, saying Illinois is creating new, innovative pathways to affordable and accessible housing. Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul is warning residents to be cautious when donating to hurricane relief efforts following the devastation from Hurricane Melissa across the Caribbean. Raoul says scammers often exploit tragedies by creating fake charities or misleading. online fundraisers. Here it is donors to research organizations before giving, avoid high pressure solicitations, and pay only by check or credit card, not cash, or payment apps. As Illinois continues to be the target of aggressive federal immigration operations, among reports of more than a thousand being arrested so far, limited information has been shared about ICE detainees who are pregnant. A nonprofit group that helps women in crisis is working to change that. The Women's Refugee Commission created the detention pregnancy tracker to collect real-time information about pregnant, postpartum, and nursing women detained by ICE. A current policy restricts the agency from arresting immigrants who are pregnant or postpartum, except in extraordinary circumstances. But Melanie Nezzar with the commission says ongoing reports indicate the policy is not being followed. We have learned that women are miscarrying in detention, that women are not getting the nutrition that they need for healthy pregnancies and they are showing up after being deported malnourished. So that's a huge concern. ICE officials have said pregnant women are housed in facilities to receive proper care while in custody. But despite filing a Freedom of Information Act request, Nezzer says the agency has not shared the data her group is asking for. So they're working with health care providers and lawyers to collect information and urging anyone with knowledge about pregnant people in detention to submit reports online. Illinois Eastern Community Colleges reports steady enrollment this fall with gains in dual credit, career, and technical transfer in adult education programs. Vice-Chancellor Anna Ambrose says overall full-time equivalent enrollment is down just a half percent, signaling stability across IECC's four campuses. Dual credit courses and career programs such as health, telecommunications, and industrial maintenance continue to grow, while adult education and transfer enrollment are also rising.

Ambrose credits collaboration among faculty, staff, and employers for aligning programs with workforce needs. The Illinois Department of Agriculture is launching two seasonal sales to bring State Fair Fund and Illinois-made products to homes across the state. Starting this month, fairgoers can snag the lowest prices of the season on the Illinois State Fair admission and ride passes. Mega passes are $70 for unlimited rides, while jumbo passes, which include the giant slide, are 80. 11-day admission books are $45 for adults and $30 for seniors. Beginning November 10th, shoppers can also buy Illinois product holiday boxes, which are curated collections of local goods priced at $40 and $60. This is WSIU.