A report by Democrats on the Senate Homeland Security Committee has found that new drug shortages increased by nearly 30 percent between 2021 and 2022. WASHINGTON — Children’s medication, antibiotics and treatment for ADHD are among a number of drugs that have been in short supply in recent months — and these shortages of critical medications are only rising, according to a new report set to be released on Wednesday. From 2021 to 2022, new drug shortages increased by nearly 30%, according to the report prepared by Democrats on the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee ..read more

Concern over the climate issue is at an all-time high among Americans. A Yale University poll found that six out of ten Americans (59%) are either scared or concerned. Finding effective solutions to that issue, however, might be challenging. Understanding the nature of the issue at hand is the first and most important step in figuring out how to address it. Understanding the climate crisis in this scenario leads to two crucial areas for action. The first is to actively participate in decarbonizing our daily activities, as well as those of our homes, workplaces, and modes of transportation. Th ..read more

In his budget proposal for FY 2024, President Biden pledges to cut future deficits by $2.8 trillion over the following ten years. That’s a substantial sum. Yet, it won’t be enough to stop the debt from increasing to a record 110 percent of GDP in 2033, up from 98 percent this year and more than twice the average over the previous 50 years. However, it won’t stop interest on the debt from rising to a record-high percentage of the economy by 2032 after doubling over the following ten years. The previous high was 3.2% of GDP in 1991. In the budget that has been presented, it will amount to 3.3 ..read more

ROCKFORD — A federal judge has sentenced a Rockford man to a total of 10 years in federal prison for robbing banks in Rockford and Belvidere in 2021, and for violating his terms of supervised release.  U.S. District Judge Iain D. Johnston imposed the sentence on Thursday after a hearing in federal court in Rockford. DEMONTRION DESHAN PHILLIPS, 29, was convicted after a jury trial in November 2022 of stealing $5,930 in a robbery of Midland States Bank, 1700 N. Alpine Rd. in Rockford, on Apr. 7, 2021, and $4,408 in a robbery of Midland States Bank, 600 S. State St. in Belvidere, on May 3 ..read more

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) has requested that hearings be held in the Senate regarding the recent failure of two significant banks. The Hill received confirmation from Sarafina Chitika, Warren’s deputy communications director, saying the senator thinks the body ought to schedule hearings with testimony from the CEOs of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank, both of which failed over the weekend. The Huffington Post’s senior politics correspondent Igor Bobic first the news of Warren’s request for hearings. According to Bobic, Warren stated that senators should question the CEOs of the fi ..read more

Samantha Maldonado, 26, was stabbed repeatedly on the Chicago Transit Authority’s Adams and Wabash platform. Her ex-boyfriend, Alejandro Arellano, has been charged with first-degree murder. A woman who was repeatedly stabbed on a train platform in downtown Chicago over the weekend identified her ex-boyfriend as her attacker before she died of her injuries, police said. Alejandro Arellano, 31, was arrested Saturday afternoon and charged with first-degree murder in connection with the death of Samantha Maldonado, 26, Chicago police announced Monday. She was stabbed early Saturday morning on the ..read more

American officials confirmed that a Russian fighter jet downed a U.S. Air Force drone over the Black Sea on Tuesday, bringing down the American aircraft in what Military officials worried may result in an unforeseen escalation. According to White House national security spokesperson John Kirby, President Biden was briefed on the event Tuesday morning. Kirby also described it as “unsafe” and “unprofessional.” “It is not uncommon for there to be intercepts by Russian aircraft of U.S. aircraft over the Black Sea,” Kirby said. “And there have been, even in just recent weeks, there have been other ..read more

Off-price retailer Ross Stores aims to open about 100 locations this year, having already debuted 19 new stores in February and March, as retailers who appeal to financially pinched shoppers grab an opportunity to grow. The Dublin, California-based chain said on Monday it had opened 11 Ross Dress for Less stores and eight dd’s Discounts stores in 13 states during last month and this month. Both chains expanded into existing markets, including locations in California, Texas, and Florida, according to Ross. And for dd’s, that growth also included its first store in Wisconsin, the retailer said ..read more

Peoria County’s Emergency Management Agency, in coordination with the National Weather Service, is calling on Peoria County residents to educate themselves and understand the threats of severe weather during Severe Weather Preparedness Week, which will take place March 6-10, 2023. Spring is traditionally a period where the threat of high winds, hail and lightning from severe thunderstorms and tornados greatly increases. There is nothing that we can do to stop severe weather from developing. However, there are things we can do to minimize the impacts of severe weather in our lives. 1. Build an ..read more

Almost 70 percent of motorists are nervous about the use of self-driving cars, according to a new poll from the American Automobile Association (AAA). The AAA poll released Thursday showed 68 percent of respondents said they are afraid of fully self-driving vehicles, up from the 55 percent who said so in the association’s poll last year. The 13-percentage point increase is the largest since 2020, though the group’s methodology for gathering data for the poll changed in 2021. “We were not expecting such a dramatic decline in trust from previous years,” Greg Brannon, the director of automotive ..read more