Questions about the state veterans’ home at LaSalle are not going away

Posted on May 4, 2021
Gov. Pritzker is still having to answer questions about one of the state’s veterans homes – after an inspector general’s report whacked his administration hard over its response to 36 COVID deaths there. (Twitter/Governor JB Pritzker)

By Dave Dahl

SPRINGFIELD – Gov. JB Pritzker Monday said he welcomed Illinois’ two U.S. senators’ call for federal involvement in the investigation into the state’s handling of a veterans’ home where 36 residents have died of coronavirus.

An inspector general’s report hit the administration hard for its lax response to the crisis, and Pritzker eventually changed directors of the Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs. The governor said it’s about transparency and accountability.

Another thing Pritzker welcomes: federal dollars for rent assistance. While the eviction moratorium has kept people off the streets, it’s hurt landlords, many of whom are small-timers – not big companies – who are only a few rungs above their tenants and can little afford to lose months of income.

Dave Dahl can be reached at [email protected]

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