Illinois quick hits: State unemployment rate hits 5%; Decatur Public Schools adopt new phone policy for students

Illinois unemployment rate hits 5%

The Illinois Department of Employment Security announced that unemployment increased to 5 percent. The May revised unemployment rate was 4.9 percent. The national unemployment rate was 4.1 percent in June, up slightly from the previous month. The number of unemployed workers in the state was 327,900, up over 3 percent from the prior month, and up nearly 19 percent over the same month one year ago.

Sangamon County Sheriff's deputy charged with murder over shooting

A Sangamon County Sheriff’s Deputy has been charged with murder in the shooting death of a woman who called police for help. The Sangamon County State’s Attorney said Deputy Sean Grayson fired on Sonya Massey as he responded to her home in Springfield Saturday. Gov. J.B. Pritzker called the charges appropriate in a statement Wednesday night and said he was enraged by the shooting.

Decatur Public Schools adopt new phone policy for students

Decatur Public Schools has adopted a new policy regarding cell phones. The school board has voted to ban cell phones for all students during the school day as part of a new electronic devices policy. All students must keep their phones and other devices in their locker or a location designated by the student’s teacher. The policy will go into effect at the start of the school year in August.