(SPRINGFIELD) The Illinois Attorney General’s office has announced that some Ameren Illinois customers in central and southern Illinois will receive a credit on their upcoming power bills, the result of a $28 million settlement with Dynegy Incorporated. Resolving ten years of investigation and litigation, the settlement stems from the 2015 electricity capacity auction conducted by the Midcontinent Independent System Operator with prices at least 40 times higher than other MISO zones and nearly nine times higher than the prior year’s price. Based on energy usage, Ameren customers affected can expect to see the credits beginning this month.
(SPRINGFIELD) Data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services indicates that Illinois patients spend more time than any of their Midwest neighbors in emergency care, with an average of 169 minutes, well over two and a half hours, per visit. In the survey, the Whitley Law Firm found that Illinois ranked 11th in the nation for median minutes spent in the emergency department before leaving. The country’s longest time in emergency care was 251 minutes in Maryland, while patients in North Dakota had the shortest median time at 110 minutes.
(SPRINGFIELD) According to the AAA as of last night, 31 states have gas prices under $3.00 a gallon, however Illinois is not one of them. Going from lowest to highest, Illinois ranked 41st out of the 50 states with an average of just under $3.15 per gallon. In fact, no other Midwestern state was over $3.00 a gallon. Illinois has the second-highest gas tax in America after California.
(SPRINGFIELD) A skating rink will open later today near the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library & Museum in Springfield. The Union Square Park rink will use an artificial surface to give an experience similar to ice skating with visitors able to use their own skates or borrow them at the facility. Historic re-enactors will help with the grand opening at 4:30 this afternoon.