West Nile virus testing
The Illinois Department of Public Health has announced it is temporarily suspending the collection of and testing of dead wild birds for West Nile virus to prevent the risk of exposure to bird flu.
The agency said it will continue to collect and test mosquitos to track the virus around the state. Usually, county health departments in Illinois begin collecting dead birds and testing them for West Nile Virus between May and October.
Nine face immigration charges
Nine people are facing federal immigration-related charges in southern Illinois.
Most of the suspects are accused of being in the U.S. illegally after being previously deported. Investigators say one suspect has been deported multiple times but has re-entered the country illegally. Court documents say that in 2019, the man tried to enter the U.S. by wading the Rio Grande River.
In addition to federal charges, the suspects are also susceptible to deportation proceedings.
Higher ed pushes back
A dozen presidents of colleges and universities in Illinois signed a letter calling out “unprecedented government overreach and political interference” amid the Trump administration’s crackdown on post-secondary institutions.
The letter was published Tuesday by the American Association of Colleges and Universities. The letter comes as the Trump administration has been suspending or threatening to take away federal funding to several universities around the country if they did not impose sweeping changes to their admissions and academic policies.
