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Illinois has confirmed 240 cases of the diarrhea-causing illness cyclosporiasis, the state’s public health department confirmed Wednesday.Cyclosporiasis is not considered a deadly disease and is more of an inconvenience that in rare cases could have complications, said Dr. Emily Landon, an infectious diseases specialist at UChicago Medicine. In Illinois, 21 people have been hospitalized so far, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health. Most in Illinois who contracted the illness had traveled recently — 105 people internationally and 111 domestically. It’s unclear if the other 24 traveled.Higher numbers of cyclosporiasis are typically reported in the summer months, but this year has seen an especially high number, health officials said.The increase in Illinois is part of a larger number of cases in most states. Across 34 states, 1,645 cases have been reported, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Here's what you need to know about cyclosporiasis in Illinois.What is cyclosporiasis?Pronounced sigh-klo-spore-EYE-uh-sis, cyclosporiasis is an intestinal illness caused by the microscopic parasite cyclospora. Infection often comes after eating fresh fruits and vegetables, and can lead to watery diarrhea, stomach cramps, gas and nausea.The heat-loving parasite infects the bowels and spreads through feces. In the past, people have been infected by consuming fruits or vegetables that were exposed to feces-contaminated irrigation water.What is causing cyclosporiasis in Illinois?No definitive source has been identified for the current outbreak, but past outbreaks have been linked to imported fresh produce, like bagged salad kits and berries, according to IDPH.Cyclosporiasis is not transmitted from person to person, Landon said. Even if a person becomes sick, people don’t usually contaminate objects in their house enough to spread it to someone else.How long does it take to recover?People should talk to their doctor about getting tested if they have symptoms, so health officials can continue to track the outbreak, said Gwen Biggerstaff, the CDC’s Deputy Director of Foodborne, Waterborne, and Environmental Diseases.Most who contract the illness recover in one to two weeks, according to the CDC. Many can recover with rest and plenty of fluids, but some may need antibiotics.People can experience bloating, gas and even dehydration but rarely have more complications.“The problem with this disease is it can be kind of persistent,” Landon said. “And you can feel pretty sick and then you can be starting to get better and then the diarrhea can come back again.”Should I stop eating fresh fruits and vegetables? If a person is immunocompromised or has an underlying medical condition, they should take more precautions, Landon said. That’s especially true, for example, for those undergoing surgery soon or cancer treatments.Everyone can follow typical food safety guidelines like washing hands and thoroughly washing and scrubbing fresh produce. Illinois health officials also suggest:Incorporate more fruits and vegetables with peels or outer layers.Eat canned fruits and vegetables.Keep produce separate from raw meat and seafood.Refrigerate cut, peeled, or cooked fruits and vegetables within two hours.Refrigerate perishable produce.Cook vegetables to at least 158 degrees Fahrenheit Is it safer to buy produce from my local Illinois farmers market? Fruits and vegetables coming from a smaller, local producer are likely to have less of a risk for contamination than food from massive manufacturers, Landon said. That’s especially true if an outbreak is centered around a certain product, but officials this time around don’t know if that’s the case.So you shouldn’t assume there’s zero risk in buying from a local vendor because any farm can become contaminated especially because of the current weather, Landon said.Vendors at Chicago farmers markets haven’t seen a decline in sales so far but have gotten more questions from customers.“We are quite confident that it is not coming from our farm or any of the other local family farms around us,” said Christina Gelder of Ellis Family Farms. She added that they are in close contact with Michigan State University to track research related to the cyclosporiasis outbreak.Chelsa Moore shopped for produce at the Pullman Farmers Market after going down a “rabbit hole” searching for best practices to avoid getting sick. She’s avoiding prepackaged food and triple rinsing produce at home.“I’m kind of leaning toward the side of just like not buying anything from the big stores and going to the local farmers market,” she said. “And then even doing even more with prepping and cleaning.”How is Illinois tracking the cases?The Illinois Department of Public Health is working with local health officials to collect data on the cases. They are also working with the CDC to investigate a potential source causing the illness.The CDC has identified one common source linked to outbreaks in Michigan, Ohio, West Virginia and Kentucky, and the agency is tracking other cases to identify likely sources. Michigan has reported 3,762 cases as of Wednesday, which is more than the total national figure the CDC has reported.But several states — including Illinois — have reported cases unrelated to that cluster, said Biggerstaff, of the CDC. The federal agency also is investigating other outbreaks that could be connected.The number of cases locally and across the country could be higher, Landon said. That’s because testing for cyclosporiasis is expensive and some insurance may not cover it. But as cases of cyclosporiasis are more in the news, doctors will likely start testing more patients or prescribe antibiotics to treat it if the person has symptoms.If a person is confirmed to have cyclosporiasis, Landon said it’s important to cooperate with the local health department to detail everything they ate so officials can pinpoint the outbreak source.Are federal cuts impacting the outbreak? Last summer, the federal government scaled back a program, known as the Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network, that monitored foodborne illnesses, NBC News previously reported. As part of the changes, reporting for cyclospora parasites became optional in 2025, according to the program’s website. The government had previously collected that data since 1997.The scaled-back federal program worked with the FDA to proactively test certain foods to check if recalls were necessary, Landon said.It’s hard to assess how much changes on the federal level are playing a role in the current outbreaks, Landon said. But it’s something health officials across the country should consider.“It’s a combination of the nature of the illness, the fact that it’s happening at a time when there’s other sporadic cases and then the lack of infrastructure and resources available for testing does matter,” Landon said, summing up the factors driving the outbreak.

Developers in the Chicago area are optimistic about a new sweeping federal law that aims to increase housing supply and affordability, but advocates say the legislation doesn't address the most pressing needs — that of low-income renters.The 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act became law July 11, after President Donald Trump refused to sign the bill despite overwhelming bipartisan support. The bill, touted by experts and leaders as the most significant housing legislation passed in decades, includes more than 40 measures that are meant to boost the country's housing supply through incentives, grants and reduced regulations.Local developers say the bill will help them build more housing at a time when labor shortages and higher material costs are resulting in less construction starts and higher prices for buyers.Tim Swanson, founder of development firm Inherent L3C, said the act is powerful because it touches on everything from manufactured and modular homes to loans for home repairs. The North Lawndale-based company specializes in affordable modular housing, or homes built offsite in factories and then assembled on a lot.Inherent is projected to build 40 homes this year, according to Swanson. The builder plans to double that number in 2027 and believes the housing act will help it reach that goal.The bill directs the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to review federal construction financing programs to identify and remove barriers for modular housing developers, like Inherent. HUD is also directed to fund a study for standardizing modular home code.Swanson said new financing programs and grants would be a big boost.“The scalability for our work is entirely tied to the inputs and the outputs — the ability to permit 120 homes and the funding to do it,” Swanson said. “We've seen those [funding] pieces move without a ROAD to Housing Act, and so I expect that to further increase now that we have a larger federal lens on it.”There's also a provision that blocks large institutional investors from purchasing single-family homes if they already own 350 or more properties."I agree with the provision that restricts large corporations, like Blackstone, from buying up unlimited numbers of homes to rent, thus giving them undue control of a rental market," Jeff Benach, CEO of Chicago-based Lexington Homes, said.The provision is a welcome change but “more of a guardrail than a driver of affordability,” Frank Manzo, economist at the Illinois Economic Policy Institute, said. Redfin data shows investors own about 15.5% of the market share in Chicago, as of March. That’s a 0.1% increase year over year, according to Redfin.“Limiting this pool of potential buyers will free up some properties and reduce prices somewhat at the margin, but other items that boost the supply of housing will ultimately play bigger roles in improving affordability over the next few years,” Manzo said. “That group of corporations and large investors, they're not forced in any way to suddenly put their properties on the market right now and have a huge influx of supply that people can now buy.”While the housing industry feels hopeful about the law, some advocates say more needs to be done to address the housing shortage for low-income renters.According to a report by Housing Action Illinois and the National Low Income Housing Coalition, there are about 34 affordable and available rental homes for the state’s lowest-income households, families with annual incomes at or below 30% of the area median income.“Illinois' most severe housing needs are [those of] renters with the lowest incomes and people experiencing homelessness, and we really need more direct federal investment right now,” Bob Palmer, Housing Action Illinois’s policy director, said.He said the bipartisan nature of the law generated “a lot of the excitement, but we’ll have to wait and see what the actual impact is,” given that most of the provisions require action by the Trump administration and Congress — either appropriating funds, issuing proposed rules, or establishing grant programs or new agencies within the federal government.Palmer said there are some provisions that could have short-term impact, like lifting the cap on what banks can invest in affordable housing projects, particularly federal low-income housing tax credit projects.Doug Schenkelberg, executive director of the Chicago Coalition to End Homelessness, hopes the downstream effects of making housing more accessible and affordable for middle-class families will impact the unhoused.“A large percentage of folks experiencing homelessness are working and have income. They simply can't afford housing,” Schenkelberg said. “So anything that makes the housing market more accessible overall increases supply overall.”He added that the provisions in the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act that specifically address homelessness are aimed at loosening restrictions and making it easier for people to qualify for services and vouchers. However, “unless they put more funding to those vouchers and create new vouchers, the fact that more people are eligible doesn’t necessarily mean that more people are getting housed,” Schenkelberg said. Related Chicago’s invisible property owners

Eight more Chicago police officers now face dismissal for fraudulently obtaining federal Paycheck Protection Program loans during the pandemic, City Hall's inspector general announced Wednesday. The officers falsified statements on government documents to obtain a total of $282,639 in federal funds intended to help small businesses during the COVID-19 crisis, according to Inspector General David Glockner's first quarterly report. Glockner stepped into the watchdog role in April after Deborah Witzburg left the post. Witzburg, who now serves as Attorney General Kwame Raoul's chief of staff, previously issued reports showing that 28 other cops had bilked the PPP program, which was rife with fraud.The eight officers highlighted in Wednesday's report are accused of breaking the law, making false statements and discrediting the police department, among other things. Their names weren't released.The inspector general’s office urged the police department to fire the cops and place them on the city's do-not-hire list. The department "preliminarily" agreed, the inspector general's office said.The inspector general's office is still investigating dozens of police officers and other city employees accused of illegally obtaining pandemic relief funds, the report shows. Related 17 more Chicago cops bilked PPP loan program, including 9 facing firing, inspector general says 3 more CPD employees, including a sergeant, face firing for PPP loan fraud Cops accused of PPP fraud, domestic violence are the sons of two former Chicago police superintendents

Aurora issued a warning Tuesday after officials reported finding “elevated” lead levels in the drinking water of some city homes.The city is advising residents to use filters for tap water and get children tested for lead exposure, though they are specifying the levels represent “lead found in specific qualified homes that participate in the sampling program,” and not the entire city.Residents whose homes tested positive were contacted and the city has published a map of impacted service lines, it said in the alert.The notice, released Tuesday, said lead service lines were to blame, and that between January and June of this year the city’s Water Protection Division had found more than 10% of the 100 samples collected exceeded the “action level for lead” set by the Environmental Protection Agency.The readings trigger the city to be responsible for “public education, adjusting treatment and lead service line replacement.”"The lead action level is a measure of the effectiveness of corrosion control treatment in water systems," the city said. "The action level is not a standard for establishing a safe level of lead in a home. … [and] this does not mean that every property that receives drinking water from the City of Aurora’s Water Production Division has lead in the drinking water.”Lead is especially harmful to children with developing brains and can cause a number of serious health conditions in adults. Lead can damage the brain and nervous system, as well as cause slowed growth and developmental, behavioral and learning difficulties, according to the Illinois Department of Health.Last year, about 180 ZIP codes across 47 counties, or roughly 13% of the state, were added to a state health department list that requires children be tested for lead exposure.“Exposure to lead in drinking water can cause serious health effects in all age groups,” the city warning said.Filters rated to remove lead, labeled NSF/ANSI Standard 53, and particulates, labeled NSF/ANSI Standard 42, can help reduce exposure, according to the state health department. Residents can also get their water tested and clean their sink screens, among other preventive measures, though boiling water does not remove lead. Related Why is it so expensive to replace lead pipes in Chicago? Trump administration gives Illinois nearly $300 million to replace toxic lead pipes Can replacing Illinois’ toxic lead pipes lead to a workforce boom?

Chicago Public Schools leaders announced drastic plans Wednesday to close the district’s massive deficit, including laying off 760 teachers, 801 teacher aides and 162 central office and citywide staff.The district also plans to freeze spending midyear and furlough staff for five days that students were not supposed to be in attendance, such as those that were set aside for planning, training or report card pickup.Not paying staff for five days would save the district around $85 million, but staff would experience a 2.3% pay cut, which for the average teacher translates to about $2,300.CPS has not furloughed staff in a decade, and the Chicago Teachers Union and other staff unions are likely to challenge the cuts, as they would eliminate some of their negotiated pay raises.District officials said the spending freeze and furloughs won’t take place until the second half of the school year and could be prevented if the city, county or state comes up with more money for CPS — likely a bid to capture the attention of lawmakers and other officials who have so far ignored pleas for more funding.On Wednesday, CPS Supt. Macquline King said that the district “is facing serious financial challenges” and there are tradeoffs in the budget.“These are all impacts that are disruptive to the education of our students, the learning experience, and ultimately the academic outcomes that we're projecting for next year,” said King, who is also the district’s CEO.Still, she described it as a “responsible” and “entirely student-centered” budget that would prevent the district from taking on more debt and interest payments, which would hurt future classroom spending. And she noted that some of the district’s financial problems are not of its own making.“Enrollment is declining, while at the same time, the needs of our students are growing,” she said. “Funding at the state and federal level has not kept up with these growing needs.” Chicago Public Schools Supt. Macquline King said Wednesday that the district is facing serious financial challenges and that state and federal funding has not kept pace with students’ growing needs. Candace Dane Chambers/Sun-Times file CPS must pass a balanced budget by the end of August, and officials have spent months trying to close a $732 million deficit. Wally Stock, CPS treasurer and acting chief financial officer, told board members last month that the district should pass a budget in July because it is so short on cash that it urgently needs a short-term loan to keep the district running and pay staff. The district must have a budget in place to get those loans.Stacy Davis Gates, president of the CTU, called the budget “dead on arrival” even before CPS officially released it.“Students have had to learn in overcrowded classes, practice under unpaid coaches, and be counseled by caseworkers with loads beyond compare all year, and now CPS thinks they can plan a week of furloughs and tell the staff who serve them they don’t have a job? Please,” Gates said in a statement.CPS officials hope city or state will step in to helpCPS officials are especially hopeful that the city will bail out the school district as it did last year by pulling a record amount of money out of special taxing districts called TIFs. When city officials decide TIF funds are not needed for economic development projects, they can declare a surplus and disperse that money to taxing bodies like CPS.City Council members, however, often have plans for any extra TIF dollars and want to hold onto them. When Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson declared a record $1 billion TIF surplus last year, City Council members initially fought against giving it to CPS.And it’s unclear how much TIF funding might be available to CPS. The city does not announce how much it plans to declare as surplus until the fall.A growing chorus, including the CTU, other unions, school board members and CPS officials, is pushing for Gov. JB Pritzker and state lawmakers to call a special session to increase education funding. They say it’s not an unreasonable request, since lawmakers were willing to do it for negotiations over the Chicago Bears’ football stadium.So far, state leaders have rejected those calls. But King said she is still hopeful that the state and city will come through.“This will require a unified call to action,” she said. “My hope is that in the next few months, we will all come together in a joint advocacy … in the service of our Chicago’s children.”Two years of tight budgets for CPSThe announcement that CPS is laying off 760 teachers was expected. When principals received their staff allocations for the 2026-27 school year back in May, they were told that the district would raise the student-to-teacher ratio to save money. An analysis by WBEZ found that would likely result in about 700 fewer teachers.The school district also is cutting some teachers and aides due to enrollment declines or a decrease in how much special education support and services students need at individual schools.Many of the teachers and aides who are losing their jobs were already informed by their principals, though official layoff notices will go out Wednesday. District officials note that most laid-off staff get rehired by CPS, because positions open up when staff quit or retire.Ben Felton, chief of talent, said that the overall number of aides and teachers is actually going up, largely because of rising special education needs across the district.CTU sent CPS leaders a letter Wednesday requesting bargaining over its planned layoffs. The letter called on the district to take legal action against the Cook County treasurer because the office has been delayed in releasing the property taxes that CPS and other government entities rely on to make payroll.CPS faced a massive deficit in last year's budget, too. Officials closed that $734 million gap after months of contentious debate through staff cuts, debt refinancing and tapping into one-time funding sources, like $550 million in TIF funding from the city.CPS laid off 500 custodians, 250 lunchroom workers, over 100 crossing guards and dozens of office workers. The district also slashed central office staff and instituted a hiring freeze.At the time, CPS’ budget director said that there was no more “low-hanging fruit” to cut and that future cuts would have to impact classrooms. Related CPS plans to cut teacher positions, raise class sizes in bid to shrink $732 million deficit As CPS cuts staff to plug deficit, educator unions and school board members press for more state funding CPS says it won’t cut instructional time or Safe Passage program in upcoming budget