Joliet nurses strike
More than 500 nurses at a Joliet hospital went on strike Tuesday.
Nurses at Ascension St. Joseph Hospital said the strike will last two days and comes during ongoing contract negotiations.
Hospital administrators called the strike unfortunate, saying it is disappointing nurses have chosen to walk out during negotiations. They also said the hospital will stay open during the strike.
Rainy day fund grows
With a deposit of $11.5 million Monday, Illinois’ Rainy Day Fund surpassed $2 billion. The Pritzker administration notes that in 2017, the Rainy Day Fund had just $48,000, enough to run the state for under 30 seconds.
A $2 billion reserve would run the state for about 15 days. Nearly half of all states in the country have at least a 50-day reserve. Comptroller Susana Mendoza has introduced legislation that would require regular deposits into both the state’s Rainy Day Fund and the Pension Stabilization Fund.
Leaves suspected in car fire
A northern Illinois fire department sent out an alert on social media Monday night after a car fire was likely caused by parking on leaves.
A photo shared by the Mundelein Fire Department shows a vehicle completely gutted by fire with piles of leaves nearby. Fire officials said the likely cause was the catalytic converter or exhaust system ignited the leaves under the vehicle.
