New Illinois Supreme Court chief justice takes oath
There is a new chief justice of the Illinois Supreme Court.
Justice Mary Jane Theis was sworn in Monday. Out of the past 122 chief justices in Illinois history, Theis is only the fourth female chief justice.
Two new judges were voted into the Supreme Court from northern Illinois last week, Elizabeth Rochford and Mary Kay O’Brien. That leaves a Supreme Court majority of 5-2 of judges who ran for their seat as Democrats.
$1 billion in rental assistance paid
The Illinois Housing Development Authority has announced that with the closure of the Illinois Rental Payment Program Round 2, just over $1 billion in emergency rental assistance provided by Congress to the state of Illinois has been distributed to over 137,000 households since 2020.
Of more than 64,000 applications, about 27,000 were approved for the second round of the program. The program was funded through an allocation from the federal American Rescue Act of 2021.
Energy companies warn of scams
Energy companies worldwide, including Ameren Illinois, are coming together this week for Utility Scam Awareness Day. Wednesday’s promotional event is designed to raise awareness about utility scams and educate customers before they become victims.
An Ameren spokesman said recent scams involve a demand for an immediate cash app payment for a new smart meter or an offer to make an immediate cash app payment to wipe away a customer’s full amount due.
