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AUSTINWEEKLY news ■
Vol. 33 No. 35
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Dwayne Truss takes a seat on Board of Education,
July 3, 2019
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austinweeklynews.com
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Also serving Garfield Park
@AustinWeeklyChi
PAGE 11
@AustinWeeklyNews
Kehrein K h i C Center t gets t $627K grant, page 2
Loretto CEO: Hospital to save big Fewer patient floors, layoffs estimated to save $10M a year, George Miller says By MICHAEL ROMAIN Editor
In May, officials with Loretto Hospital, 645 S. Central Ave., announced that were laying off an unspecified number of employees and consolidating services at the nearly century-old safety net institution. During an interview last week, George Miller, Loretto’s president and CEO, estimated that the moves could save the cashstrapped hospital roughly $10 million a year and put it on a path to focus more on outpatient services and clinical trials. Back in May, Loretto officials explained that the changes, which include moving the hospital’s intensive care unit somewhere else and temporarily closing some floors, were due largely to the fact that insurers owe the hospital around $13 million. Under former Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner, Illinois ramped up its managed care program, which entails the state paying private insurers, or managed care organizations, to administer Medicaid health benefits. At the time, proponents See LORETTO on page 4
A wall of hope
SHANEL ROMAIN/Contributor
Community members crane their necks to snap photos of a new mural, “Hope and Life for Everyone,” that was unveiled during a ceremony on June 27. The mural, created by artist Mauricio Rodriguez, spans the entirety of a brick exterior wall of Loretto Hospital in Austin. Read more on pages 4 and 5.
Pritzker signs marijuana bill in Austin Possession, adult-use to become legal Jan. 1
By JERRY NOWICKI Capitol News Illinois
SPRINGFIELD — Recreational marijuana use and possession will be legal in Illinois beginning Jan. 1, 2020, after Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed a legalization bill into law during a signing ceremony held June 25 at Sankofa Cultural Arts and Business Center, 5820 W. Chicago Ave. in Austin. Supporters of the bill called it the most
equity-centric legalization proposal in the nation as the state became the first in the U.S. to pass a comprehensive legalization package through the legislature rather than a ballot initiative. “This legislation lives true to the promise to bring justice, equity and opportunity throughout our state,” Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton said. “By including components focused on repairing the harm caused by the failed war on drugs and decades of policies that
caused mass incarceration — Illinois is a national leader with policy that’s a national model.” Beginning Jan. 1, the law will allow for the possession of up to 30 grams of marijuana per Illinois resident. Residents will also be able to possess up to 5 grams of cannabis concentrate, 500 milligrams of THC contained in a cannabis-infused product. Non-
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See MARIJUANA on page 6
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