Illinois quick hits: State capitol evacuated again; parolee pleaded not guilty

[April 23, 2024]  The Center Square
 
State capitol evacuated again
 
For the second time in two days, the Illinois State Capitol was evacuated Monday after a threat.
 
The Secretary of State’s Office said a threatening 911 call caused the evacuation. No explosive devices were found and employees were let back into the building at 1:45 p.m.  

The capitol building was also on lockdown Sunday due to a bomb threat.

Parolee pleaded not guilty

The man charged in the murder of an 11-year-old boy the day after he was paroled from prison pleaded not guilty Monday. Crosetti Brand faces a charge of first-degree murder in the death of Jayden Perkins.

Police responded to the home Perkins shared with his mother March 13 after Brand allegedly forced his way into the residence and began stabbing Perkin’s mother. The boy then tried to defend his mother, who was four months pregnant, and was stabbed.

Two Illinois prisoner board members resigned as a result of the murder.

Infectious disease conference Tuesday

The Illinois Department of Public Health is hosting the state’s first infectious disease conference in nine years in Bloomington Tuesday and Wednesday.

As the first such conference since the COVID-19 pandemic, the two-day event will bring together hundreds of infectious disease experts and focus on lessons learned from battling the worldwide public health emergency, how to move beyond COVID-19 and fighting misinformation in the realm of public health.