Illinois quick hits: More students protesting; Pritzkers donate Civil War document

More students protesting

Illinois State University in Normal is the latest school to feature an encampment to protest the war in Gaza. Students at schools around the country have been setting up tents to show support for Palestine, including at Columbia University and the University of Washington. Students at Northwestern University in Evanston recently took down their encampment after they said the school met their demands.

Check private water wells

The Illinois Department of Public Health and the Illinois State Water Survey are reminding Illinois private well-owners to properly maintain their wells and recommend that they test their wells for potential contaminants. Officials said most private wells which are properly constructed and maintained provide safe water for years. However, contamination can occur due to improper construction, poor maintenance or releases of contaminants into the well’s aquifer. They add that many contaminants cannot be detected by sight, taste or smell.

Pritzkers donate Civil War document

Gov. J.B. Pritzker and First Lady M.K. Pritzker have donated a historic document to the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum. The document is President Lincoln’s final authorization to begin a blockade of Southern ports, a strategy that would play a decisive role in the outcome of the Civil War. The document, from April 19, 1861, launched the famous “Anaconda Plan,” which remained in effect for the rest of the Civil War and was critical to defeating the Southern Confederacy.