Illinois Quick Hits: Iowa PA license wait times half of Illinois

March 24, 2026/Newspaper Staff/

By Jim Talamonti | The Center Square
The Center Square

(The Center Square) – The Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing says the state’s average wait time for new physician assistant licenses is 19.5 days from application to issuance, or about half the time PAs wait for licenses in Illinois.

The Iowa agency responded to an inquiry from The Center Square and provided data from September 2025 through February 2026. The Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation said earlier this month that the state’s average PA license processing time in 2025 was 5.7 weeks, or between 36 and 40 days.

MAN CHARGED WITH THREATENING TO ‘SHOOT UP’ SYNAGOGUE

The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Chicago has charged a man with making a threat to “shoot up” a synagogue.

Prosecutors say Timothy Holmes, 31, of Chicago, made the threat on social media earlier this month and also made derisive posts about Jewish people.

Holmes was arrested Wednesday in Florida.

SECRETARY OF STATE’S OFFICE WARNS OF TEXT SCAMS

The Illinois Secretary of State’s office is warning residents of a surge in text message scams that threaten vehicle registration suspension, license penalties or other actions if an individual does not click a link or pay an alleged fine.

Recipients of such texts are urged not to respond or open the links but to instead report the message to [email protected].

The secretary’s office says it only sends texts to remind customers about scheduled DMV appointments.

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