Illinois quick hits: 700,000 customers' health information potentially exposed

Illinois quick hits: 700,000 customers’ health information potentially exposed

January 2, 2026/

By The Center Square
The Center Square

IDHS announces health information potentially exposed

Protected health information for more than 700,000 customers of rehabilitation services and Medicaid and Medicare savings programs may have been compromised.

The Illinois Department of Human Services announced maps meant to determine where to open new local offices were publicly viewable.

To date, IDHS said it was unaware of any actual or attempted misuse of personal information as a result of this incident.

ICE looking for child predator

Federal authorities are searching for an alleged child predator last seen in Chicago.

According to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Ricardo Vega is a citizen of Mexico wanted for contacting underage girls online, sending them sexually abusive videos and images, and instructing them to reproduce the explicit material using themselves or their younger siblings.

ICE said Vega was active in online chat rooms frequented by child predators.

Christmas tree recycling program

Biologists at Illinois Department of Natural Resources fisheries are collecting live Christmas trees to be used as fish habitat in local lakes after the holidays.

Agency officials said the trees will be bundled, weighted and submerged at lakes, providing habitat for multiple species and promoting algae growth for insects that attract fish for anglers.

The IDNR Office of Fisheries website has drop-off location information and instructions.

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