{
  "$type": "site.standard.document",
  "bskyPostRef": {
    "cid": "bafyreifcpd555c2uroj7k3feamjupz3sjqa7yxt4bzml6sjvmfssgwav5e",
    "uri": "at://did:plc:fcdmaxq5qly33pzgxlwm6ub4/app.bsky.feed.post/3mg74mrcv76r2"
  },
  "coverImage": {
    "$type": "blob",
    "ref": {
      "$link": "bafkreibu6uks3nkzjoh5i3e5iteykbwsod5shw2cg7uigkci2k4dyamfua"
    },
    "mimeType": "image/jpeg",
    "size": 157928
  },
  "path": "/wbez-newsletter/2026/03/03/the-rundown-illinois-fails-to-improve-prison-health-care",
  "publishedAt": "2026-03-03T21:45:00.000Z",
  "site": "https://www.wbez.org",
  "textContent": "<p><i>Good afternoon! It’s Tuesday, and this summer’s </i><a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://blockclubchicago.org/2026/03/03/chicago-pride-parade-returns-june-28-with-free-to-be-proud-theme/\" target=\"_blank\" ><i><u>Chicago Pride Parade</u></i></a><i> will have a “Free to Be Proud” theme, honoring journalists, civil rights leaders and judges. Here’s what else you need to know today.</i></p><p><a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://www.wbez.org/health/2026/03/02/health-care-illinois-prisons-consent-decree\" target=\"_blank\" ><b><u>1. Illinois prisons were ordered to improve health care for inmates. They’ve spent 7 years failing</u></b></a></p><p>Even though the Illinois Department of Corrections has been under a consent decree since 2019, the state continues to fail to provide adequate medical and dental care to incarcerated people, according to reports from an independent court monitor, legal experts and people held in Illinois prisons.</p><p>The mandated reforms include hiring more qualified staff, implementing an electronic medical record system, improving facilities and equipment to meet medical needs, maintaining reliable and up-to-date data, and creating an organizational structure that ensures inmates get the care they need. IDOC has not achieved any of these provisions, an independent monitor wrote in September.</p><p>People in American prisons also have a constitutional right to adequate medical care. Not providing it is considered cruel and unusual punishment under the Eighth Amendment — the basis for a class-action lawsuit against IDOC.</p><p>Johnnie Flournoy has been in Illinois prisons since the early 1990s. He told the Chicago Sun-Times he has struggled to receive consistent medical treatment for his severe glaucoma, resulting in blindness in his left eye and degenerating vision in the right.</p><p>And after five surgeries, he’s lost all vision in his left eye. He’s now waiting for the day he wakes up and can’t see out of his right. Yet Flournoy still isn’t getting his drops regularly: “They let me go blind,” he said, “and they still ain’t doing nothing.”</p><p>IDOC did not comment on Flournoy’s medical history or his allegations of neglect. [<a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://www.wbez.org/health/2026/03/02/health-care-illinois-prisons-consent-decree\" target=\"_blank\" ><u>Chicago Sun-Times</u></a>]</p><p><a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://chicago.suntimes.com/money/2026/03/02/amazon-prime-air-drone-delivery-service-chicago-suburbs\" target=\"_blank\" ><b><u>2. Amazon is rolling out drone delivery service in the south suburbs</u></b></a></p><p>The retailer said yesterday it would bring its Amazon Prime Air service to Matteson and Markham this summer, with deliveries taking as little as two hours, Mariah Rush reports for the Chicago Sun-Times.</p><p>The program is already in action in five other states; Arizona, Florida, Kansas, Michigan and Texas, where the service first launched in 2022.</p><p>More than 60% of the items at the fulfillment centers are eligible for delivery to residents within an 8-mile radius. Each drone can carry multiple packages up to a total of 5 pounds. They can operate in wind gusts of up to 30 miles per hour and in light rain, according to Amazon.</p><p>Because of Federal Aviation Administration regulations, deliveries can only occur during civil twilight hours, or 30 minutes before sunrise until 30 minutes after sunset. [<a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://chicago.suntimes.com/money/2026/03/02/amazon-prime-air-drone-delivery-service-chicago-suburbs\" target=\"_blank\" ><u>Chicago Sun-Times</u></a>]</p><p><a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://chicago.suntimes.com/politics/2026/03/02/chicago-2028-2032-dnc-democratic-national-conventions-finalist\" target=\"_blank\" ><b><u>3. Chicago is a finalist to host the Democratic National Convention in 2028 and 2032</u></b></a></p><p>The DNC last came to Chicago in 2024, when Democrats nominated Kamala Harris and Tim Walz to its presidential ticket.</p><p>Chicago’s bid video lauds the city as a political leader home to hard workers and high-profile Democrats like former President Barack Obama. Oprah Winfrey, Derrick Rose, John Legend and the Chicago Sky appear alongside picturesque drone shots of the city.</p><p>“With our extensive track-record of safely and successfully hosting large-scale events, our vibrant and diverse culture, and our status as a world-class destination — we’re confident that Chicago is best positioned to put on a convention that matches the enthusiasm, success, and energy of the 2024 DNC,” the Chicago Bid Committee said in a statement. “The team that brought Democrats the best political convention is ready to do it again.”</p><p>The other finalist cities are Atlanta, Boston, Denver and Philadelphia. [<a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://chicago.suntimes.com/politics/2026/03/02/chicago-2028-2032-dnc-democratic-national-conventions-finalist\" target=\"_blank\" ><u>Chicago Sun-Times</u></a>]</p><p><a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://www.wbez.org/dance/2026/03/03/joffrey-ballet-christopher-wheeldon-sleeping-beauty-john-neumeier-liliom-2026-2027-season\" target=\"_blank\" ><b><u>4. The Joffrey Ballet is set to be the first American company to premiere Wheeldon’s ‘Sleeping Beauty’ and Neumeier’s ‘Liliom’ in 2026-2027</u></b></a></p><p>The Joffrey’s 71st season will open Sept. 17-27 with the Chicago premiere of “Liliom,” a tragic story of love and redemption set in a fading American amusement park during the Great Depression.</p><p>Inspired by Ferenc Molnár’s 1909 play and later adapted into Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein’s 1945 musical “Carousel,” “Liliom” is set to Academy Award-winning composer Michel Legrand’s score that blends classical and jazz influences.</p><p>Closing out the Joffrey’s season in May 2027 will be the North American premiere of Christopher Wheeldon’s ”The Sleeping Beauty,” the classic fairy tale brought to life through Jerome Kaplan’s costume and set design and Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s beloved score. [<a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://www.wbez.org/dance/2026/03/03/joffrey-ballet-christopher-wheeldon-sleeping-beauty-john-neumeier-liliom-2026-2027-season\" target=\"_blank\" ><u>WBEZ/Chicago Sun-Times</u></a>]</p><p><a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://www.wbez.org/theater/2026/03/03/collaboraction-theatre-606-arts-corridor-chicago-stages-house-belonging\" target=\"_blank\" ><b><u>5. Collaboraction Theatre hopes its new House of Belonging will anchor an arts corridor along The 606</u></b></a></p><p>The newest tenants at the Kimball Arts Center are bringing fresh energy and performances to the building, the former site of dog food and apparel store For Dog’s Sake in Humboldt Park.</p><p>As my colleague Ambar Colón reports for the Chicago Sun-Times, the theater’s inaugural show in its new venue is “Trial in the Delta: The Murder of Emmett Till,” extended until March 15.</p><p>Collaboraction Theatre signed a 20-year lease with the building’s owner, Stocking Urban Development. The project cost between $800,000 and $1 million.</p><p>Leaders are optimistic the House of Belonging will draw audiences, especially in a post-COVID 19 lockdown world where people are seeking meaningful human connection, artistic director Anthony Moseley said. [<a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://www.wbez.org/theater/2026/03/03/collaboraction-theatre-606-arts-corridor-chicago-stages-house-belonging\" target=\"_blank\" ><u>Chicago Sun-Times</u></a>]</p><p><b>Here’s what else is happening</b></p><ul class=\"rte2-style-ul\" style=\"margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;padding-inline-start:48px;\" id=\"rte-6ec0b315-1749-11f1-ad5c-2fa9f410536e\"><li>The United States evacuated diplomats as attacks intensified across the Middle East, warning of a prolonged war. [<a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://www.npr.org/2026/03/03/nx-s1-5732968/iran-us-trump-war\" target=\"_blank\" ><u>NPR</u></a>]</li><li>Opening statements began in the federal antitrust trial against Live Nation, which could reshape the music industry. [<a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://www.npr.org/2026/03/03/nx-s1-5728962/live-nation-ticketmaster-trial-explainer\" target=\"_blank\" ><u>NPR</u></a>]</li><li>Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said she doesn’t know about Marimar Martinez, the Chicago woman shot five times by a federal agent. [<a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://chicago.suntimes.com/immigration/2026/03/03/dhs-kristi-noem-senate-judiciary-committee-testimony-marimar-martinez-dick-durbin\" target=\"_blank\" ><u>Chicago Sun-Times</u></a>]</li><li>The Rev. Jesse Jackson lay in honor at the South Carolina State House yesterday. His ties to his home state always remained strong. [<a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://www.wbez.org/politics/2026/03/02/the-rev-jesse-jackson-greenville-south-carolina-colombia-greenville8-lying-in-state-chicago\" target=\"_blank\" ><u>Chicago Sun-Times</u></a>]</li></ul><p><b>Oh, and one more thing …</b></p><p>If you’ve had a procedure recently at a Chicago-area hospital — anything from a surgical operation to a routine test — and were perplexed by high charges on your bill, my colleague Stephanie Zimmermann wants to hear from you.</p><p>She’s working on an investigation on varying prices for common procedures and diagnostic tests in the Chicago area, depending on health insurance plan and hospital. In some cases, the “cash price” billed to patients with no insurance is cheaper than the prices negotiated by health plans.</p><p>People with high-deductible plans are most likely to notice high hospital prices because they’re responsible for paying a greater share of their bills, especially early in the year.</p><p>You can tell Stephanie your story by emailing szimmermann@suntimes.com or by filling out <a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://airtable.com/applxMbCCBIrdOdim/shrOXar44OHPblKPM?tpcc=cst_cm\" target=\"_blank\" ><u>this form</u></a>, and she may contact you.</p><p><b>Tell me something good …</b></p><p>What was your favorite acting performance from the past year?</p><p>Lisa writes:</p><p>“Absolutely the best female performance of the year was Kate Hudson in ‘Song Sung Blue.’ She was brilliant, with her portrayal of the midwest accent, her heartfelt emotional turmoil dealing with painkillers, but mostly, her amazing talent in portraying Patsy Cline. WOW.”</p><p>Feel free to email me, and your response may be included in the newsletter this week.</p>",
  "title": "Illinois fails to improve prison health care: The Rundown",
  "updatedAt": "2026-03-03T21:45:01.853Z"
}