Illinois Congresswoman Cheri Bustos says there continues to be a disconnect between Washington D.C. and Illinois on the availability of COVID-19 test kits.

The Democrat says she was recently on a call with Vice President Mike Pence and national health experts Dr. Anthony Fauci and Dr. Deborah Birx.

Bustos says they indicated they were doing “great” on getting test kits out.

A student emergency fund unveiled Monday at Northern Illinois University aims to help with hardships related to COVID-19.

It provides up to $500 per student to cover various needs caused by the pandemic and social distancing. These can include the cost of technology to take remote spring courses, childcare costs, and emergency medical expenses. Assistant Dean of Students Kelly Olson said there’s been significant interest.

Rockford’s mayor says city services have remained relatively uninterrupted during the pandemic. 

Mayor Tom McNamara said a key measure early on was making sure staff could take care of themselves and loved ones.

“Where we provided all staff 14 days of paid sick leave to ensure that none of them were coming to work or doing work while they were sick, or while they had a family member who was sick with COVID-19, so that they could focus on what was most important to them, which should be their family.”

The Illinois Auditor General's office released the most recent compliance report for several Illinois public universities, including Northern Illinois University. In the NIU report, auditors noted that in their test sample, two employees were paid beyond their termination date.

The report includes the university's reponse to the finding.